“Volvo Group and CRH are partnering to explore holistic net-zero innovations for the construction industry” p46
Regulars
05 COMMENT
A close-to-home take on the importance of aggregates
06 NEWS
SigmaRoc to buy CRH European lime operations for US$1.1bn; evoZero: global-first carbon-captured net-zero cement; Aggregate Industries hits the tiles to cement circular economy
08 ASSOCIATION NEWS
EU Nature Restoration Law: MEPs secure deal to restore 20% of EU land and seas
50 EVENTS
All the key events in the quarrying & aggregates world
Features
22 LOADING
In an Aggregates Business Q&A, HD Hyundai Infracore CEO Young-Cheul Cho discusses Develon’s exciting growth plans
25 HAULING
A strong US market, underpinned by the Biden administration’s infrastructure spending, is driving global ADT sales
27 ENGINES – 2
A lively off-highway machine engine market featuring plenty of exciting alternative fuelbased projects and new production facilities opened and earmarked
34
WASHING – 2
New and proposed installations in Europe and Australia highlight the diversity and vibrancy of the global quarried-material wash-plant market
38
RECYCLING – 2
New recycling plant turns waste into a resource for a sustainable future
40
DRONES/STOCKPILE ANALYSIS
Quarry drones wait for their ‘Moneyball’ moment
46 SUSTAINABILITY
A big global partnership to decarbonise construction while other major building material producers reach eye-catching sustainability milestones
COVER STORY: Alfredo Polti machine operator Lorenzo Savoia in front of a Hitachi ZX530LCH-7 being used in the company’s gneiss quarry in Arvigo, Switzerland
Specials
10 INTERVIEW
Powerscreen business line director Sean Loughran is eyeing growth built on a strengthened identity
16 QUARRY PROFILE
A Swiss family-run natural stone product producer is gaining big productivity and efficiency gains from its Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) machines
19 MARKET REPORT
The Italian off-highway equipment market is evolving, with sustainability at the forefront of customers’ and manufacturers’ minds
43 POWERSCREEN –A NEW-MACHINE ERA
Powerscreen unveiled several eye-catching, next-generation machines during its World Dealer Conference in Varese, Italy
48 INTERMAT 2024
INTERMAT is one of Comexposium’s flagship events, and Christophe Lecarpentier’s passion and communication experience is spreading the word that Paris is best in springtime
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IA close-to-home take on the importance of aggregates
have been travelling a lot since this magazine’s last issue, with work trips to the UAE, Germany, Poland and Italy. I have also been generating aggregates-related content from UK outings, including an enjoyable trip to one major domestic event an hour from my front door in Nottingham: the British Aggregates Association (BAA) annual conference at the National Conference Centre, part of the National Motorcycle Museum, in Birmingham, central England.
The well-attended event, sponsored by PowerX Equipment, JCB, Verlingue and Graepels, included guest speakers from industry, government and public and private sector organisations. It featured numerous exhibition stands from companies across the aggregates sector. It was also the setting for the BAA’s annual general meeting and dinner and the keenly contested BAA annual awards.
This year’s BAA Quarry of the Year was Tillicoultry Quarries’ Tams Loup Quarry in Shotts, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The prestigious BAA Young Industry Talent award went to Dan Pestell of Land & Minerals Consulting (t/a QuarryDesign and DroneSurv). Runners-up were Joshua Robertson of Springfield Farm Quarry and Emily Ferguson of Breedon Group.
Kicking off the high-quality annual conference speakers was Paul Bradley, the HSE (Health & Safety Executive’s) energy division head of operations, who outlined the HSE’s 10-year strategy and its impact on the UK aggregates industry. Richard Wenham and Rob Beckers of the Metropolitan Police Roads and Transport Policing Command Commercial Vehicle Unit followed him and gave an emotive talk on their work with the UK transport and haulage industry to make Britain’s roads safer. Next up was Christina Davey, team leader of Minerals & Waste in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, who highlighted how the minerals planning system is facilitating the sustainable use of minerals. Paul Mabey, JCB’s national accounts manager, followed her. He gave a fascinating talk on the quarrying and construction equipment giant’s work on developing zero-carbon alternative
power solutions for the off-highway equipment industry. Adrian Wilkinson, managing director of QuarryDesign, spoke about evolving QNJAC (Quarries National Joint Advisory Committee) guidance on using drones at quarries, a growing industry health and safety issue.
After lunch, Anthony Elgey highlighted the vital work of Minerals Matter, the MPQC (Mineral Products Qualifications Council)backed coordinated cross-sector approach to addressing the industry’s key challenges around diversity and the skills gap. He also talked about the positive contribution of mineral products to the UK economy and the industry’s current moves towards decarbonisation and the circular economy.
Simon Cutmore of Verlingue gave an overview of aggregates industry-related compliance, consequence and claims defensibility. The DVSA’s (Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency) Phil Breen discussed the Agency’s Earned Recognition scheme. Finally, Paul Needle, Smiths Bletchington transport manager, gave a moving presentation on getting on his bike and completing numerous 100-mile sponsored bike rides, raising vital funds for different charities. Earlier this year, Needle rode from Lands End to John O’Groats, raising funds for MNDA (the Motor Neurone Disease Association).
During his closing annual conference address, Richard Clemmey, BAA chairman and managing director of Smiths Bletchington, stressed the importance of securing planned mineral reserves for the UK aggregates industry’s future. “The system isn’t quite working, and I’m sure every quarry operator in this room faces various issues with planning and permitting. It’s a very serious issue that needs absolute focus. We have seen a depletion of planned mineral reserves. The BAA will continue to work with others to improve this situation.”
It was a great pleasure to be at this year’s BAA annual conference and to see how a longstanding UK aggregates industry champion is growing and strengthening its voice under the leadership of CEO Mike Phillips and his management team. GW
AGGREGATE INDUSTRIES HITS THE TILES TO CEMENT CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Thousands of tonnes of waste ceramics from one of the UK’s largest ceramic tile manufacturers will be recycled to make cement as part of a new initiative from Aggregate Industries. The leading building materials supplier has agreed a fouryear deal with Johnson Tiles to take 20,000 tonnes of legacy waste and broken production scrap a year from its Stoke factory. The tiles will make the short trip from The Potteries to Aggregate Industries’ Cauldon cement plant in the Staffordshire Moorlands, where it will be used as an alternative raw material. It will be crushed and mixed with limestone and other raw component parts before going through the chemical heat process in the kiln to make cement. The recycled ceramics will replace virgin materials, such as shale, meaning fewer materials must be extracted from the ground and natural resources can be prolonged for longer. Andrew Whyatt, Geocycle UK general manager at Aggregate Industries, said: “We are delighted to be working with such a Potteries stalwart as Johnson Tiles to recycle what would otherwise be a waste product. Materials such as this offer a great alternative to excavating fresh raw materials, preserving our local natural resources, whilst offering a solution whereby 100% of the material will be upcycled into new local cement.”
SigmaRoc to buy CRH European lime operations for US$1.1bn
CRH has agreed to sell its European lime operations to buy-and-build building materials group SigmaRoc for US$1.1 billion, subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals.
The purchased business comprises 16 operating locations with leading market positions across Ireland, the UK, Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland. The combined portfolio generated sales of around $610 million and EBITDA of $137 million in 2022.
The transaction is structured in three phases, the first of which is expected to be completed in early 2024. It consists of CRH Group’s lime operations in Germany, the Czech Republic and Ireland. The remaining phases, consisting of operations in the UK and Poland,
are expected to be completed in 2024.
Albert Manifold, chief executive of CRH, said: “The decision to divest at an attractive valuation follows a comprehensive review of the Business and demonstrates
Net-zero with evoZero
Under its new evoZero brand, Heidelberg Materials is introducing the world’s first carbon-captured, net-zero cement to European customers. evoZero achieves its net-zero footprint by applying carbon-capture and storage technology at the Heidelberg Materials plant in Brevik, Norway, without compensation from credits generated outside the company’s value chain.
“The launch of our unique evoZero products is a paradigm shift in the decarbonisation of our sector,” says Dr Dominik von Achten, chairman of the managing board of Heidelberg Materials. “Carbon capture and storage is a breakthrough technology for the building materials industry, and we are frontrunners in deploying it at scale. With evoZero, we offer our customers the industry’s most innovative, globally unique product, enabling them to drive cutting-edge, environmentally friendly construction projects. I am very proud of the dedication and passion of everyone involved in our pioneering project in Brevik.”
CRH’s active approach to portfolio management. The proceeds from the divestment will provide us with significant additional capital allocation opportunities to deliver further growth and value creation for our shareholders.”
evoZero cement will be available in two versions, depending on the customer’s location. evoZero Carbon Captured Brevik is directly delivered from the Brevik CCS plant in Norway, achieving its net-zero footprint over the entire life cycle. Customers in other European countries may choose evoZero Carbon Captured, delivered from nearby plants while leveraging the unique carbon-saving attributes realised in Brevik. evoZero Carbon Captured features a net-zero footprint upon delivery.
For both products, the carbon-capture attributes are transparent and traceable by harnessing the power of blockchain technology through which Heidelberg Materials’ customers will receive a verifiable carbon proof for their evoZero purchase. Leveraging well-established principles such as massbalancing and book-and-claim, a third-party verifier has independently reviewed the carbon-capture and emission-accounting mechanisms.
CRH chief executive Albert Manifold. Pic: CRH
Brevik Cement plant in Norway. Pic: Heidelberg Materials
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EU Nature Restoration Law: MEPs secure deal to restore 20% of EU land and seas
In a pivotal development on 9th November 2023, European Parliament and Council negotiators brokered a groundbreaking provisional political agreement on the EU Nature Restoration Law. This version aligns with the Parliament vote on 12th July, although a consolidated version has not yet been finalised.
Co-legislators have committed to an unprecedented goal of revitalising a minimum of 20% of land and sea areas across the European Union by 2030. The agreement extends this mandate to comprehensively restore all ecosystems in need by 2050. To achieve these targets, EU member states are mandated to progressively restore at least 30% of habitat types covered by the new law to optimal conditions by 2030, with the goal escalating to 60% by 2040 and an ambitious 90% by 2050. National restoration plans and integral blueprints detailing strategies to achieve these goals will be adopted through an open, transparent, and inclusive process.
In alignment with Parliament’s position, EU countries are directed to prioritise areas within Natura 2000 sites until 2030. A crucial facet of the accord is the obligation of member states to ensure that once an
area achieves optimal conditions, it remains shielded from significant deterioration, underscoring a steadfast commitment to sustained preservation.
By 2030, EU nations are mandated to implement measures to trigger a positive trend in multiple indicators within forest ecosystems. Simultaneously, an ambitious plan calls for planting an additional three billion trees across the EU and revitalising at least 25,000km of rivers into free-flowing waterways. The agreement also stipulates that by 2030, EU countries must guarantee no net loss in the total national area of urban green space and urban tree canopy cover in urban ecosystem areas compared to 2021. Post-2030, these measures must be intensified, with progress tracked every six years.
Within 12 months of the regulation coming into force, the European Commission will scrutinise any financial gaps in meeting restoration needs and explore solutions to bridge them. Notably, negotiators have included an emergency brake mechanism, allowing for the suspension of targets for agricultural ecosystems under exceptional circumstances if they yield severe EU-wide consequences for the availability of land
European Parliament and Council negotiators have brokered a groundbreaking provisional political agreement on the EU Nature Restoration Law
crucial for adequate agricultural production.
While supporting the objectives of the Nature Restoration Law and sharing concerns about biodiversity decline, Aggregates Europe –UEPG expressed reservations about the law. Mainly, concerns were raised because the law did not consider the extraction sector for restoration purposes. There was a fear that the restoration obligations outlined in the law could complicate extraction permits further, as it did not anticipate that (aggregates) extraction could coexist with nature restoration and biodiversity net gain. However, the final text vote by the Parliament has been considerably softened compared to the original Commission proposal.
Next steps:
The European Parliament and the Council will now formally have to adopt the new regulation. Once this is done, it will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. Member States must submit their first nature-restoration plan to the Commission within two years. AB
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Eyeing growth built on a strengthened identity
The Powerscreen World Dealer Conference saw nearly 400 Powerscreen dealers, customers and staff from all over the globe gather in Varese, near Milan in northern Italy, from 19-21 September to learn about next-generation machines and linked technology from the Terex Materials Processing (Terex MP) business brand. The major event also featured live quarry demonstrations of the new machines, dealer best practice and feedback sessions, and several longtime successful Powerscreen dealers were recognised for their exceptional work in a special awards evening. In an exclusive interview, Guy Woodford sat down with Sean Loughran, Powerscreen’s business line director, during the triennial conference to learn more about the brand’s latest news and ambitious plans
W“e’ve been through some difficult years, and the brand identity had been disorientated for quite some time. That might seem inconsequential to some people, but it is really important to us. That’s what we build the business on,” says Sean Loughran, getting straight to the heart of what he believes is key to Powerscreen realising its exciting growth plans in the global crushing and screening and linked solutions market.
Loughran is joining me after addressing a large conference room packed with the Terex MP brand’s dealers, customers and staff on the second day of the Powerscreen World Dealer Conference.
“We needed to rekindle our strong brand identity and get my team fully focused on supporting Powerscreen dealers. That’s our USP (unique selling proposition); no one else has a distribution network like ours,” he stresses. “We’ve got dealers who’ve worked for Powerscreen for over 50 years, who were with us in their teens. They are in their seventies and came through our factories and established dealerships in New York, California, Florida and many other places throughout the world. It’s a unique legacy and history that we need to nurture and develop. We started that process three years ago and have made significant progress. The dealers have noticed that the spark and interaction between them and my team is back to how it was.”
Powerscreen has over 100 dealers globally who provide local service and support to end users in more than 80 countries.
Loughran says that the closer relationship between Powerscreen dealers and his business line team helped steer the brand through the myriad challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, including supply chain disruption and materials inflation. “We had to do many price increases for machines already sold but were still awaiting dispatch. We had a significant order backlog and had to price that to stay in business. It shows how the team and dealers rekindled their strong relationship, and my team’s strength
and commitment in walking dealers through that.”
The lack of engine availability from one prominent manufacturer was a major issue for Powerscreen during COVID-19. “It would have been a showstopper if we didn’t have an amazing engineering team that developed, unprecedently quickly, alternative [machine] designs that could accommodate engines from two other manufacturers. Our team and dealers then also rose to the challenge by being able to adjust their technical backup. To be frank, the engine and electrical fitting disruption caught us out. However, a lot of work has since gone into
“It’s a case of educating dealers and getting them to supply key customer machine performance data to help us help them”
our strategic sourcing efforts to protect and futureproof the business going forward.
“There’s much commonality across our machines. We are also working on a project to create a common power unit across all [Terex MP] brands to reduce costs and increase efficiencies. In saying that, our various brands have bespoke elements, and it is also important to have an element of brand differentiation.
“What we want to do this year at [Terex MP] Dungannon is get a consistent [machine] build rate, removing all the noise around day-to-day work and consistently hitting our build schedule numbers. Once we have that firm base, we can grow even further. After two years of [COVID-19-induced] turmoil, the factory and its people need that. Efficiency is a big thing for us. About a year ago, we hired a new operations director at Dungannon, Conor Kennedy. He came from a Terex Group role with an operations focus. He’s been fantastic, showing great vision. He’s built a great team around him, focusing on improvement. They don’t say what they will do; they just do it and tell me what they’ve
Sean Loughran addressing WDC attendees
done. They’ve done a lot on digitalisation, for example. It’s created a much slicker operation.”
Launched in 1966 as County Tyronebased Ulster Plant, Powerscreen’s founders championed the concept of mobile screening: taking the machines to the quarry face rather than the expensive process of moving the material to the machine. In 1969, Powerscreen exported its first machine to Sweden, which cost £2,500; by the 1970s, the Powerscreen name was born. In 2009, Terex Pegson and Powerscreen products and services were united under the Powerscreen name.
From its origins in supplying mobile machines in a sand pit, Powerscreen today offers more than 70 industry-renowned machine designs serving customers in the quarry, mining, construction, demolition, and recycling industries.
Five next-generation machines were unveiled at the Powerscreen World Dealer Conference in Varese. The Premiertrak 450 jaw crusher, the Trakpactor 480/480SR horizontal shaft impact crusher, the Warrior 1800X and Warrior 1200 Hybrid scalping screens, and the CT80R tracked radial conveyor. Speaking at the conference, Neil Robinson, Powerscreen product director, said Powerscreen is now also offering diesel-electric versions of the Titan 600 and Warrior 1200. Other planned crushing and screening machine introductions from Powerscreen over the next three years were also highlighted at the event.
So, how does Loughran evaluate Powerscreen’s machine range? “As I mentioned to our dealers during my presentation today, I think our machine portfolio is complete, perhaps too complete. When we compare ourselves to some of the competition, we have a much broader range. You have to ask, ‘Is that the right approach?’ By focusing on our core products, could we be more streamlined and cost-effective?”
Touching on Powerscreen’s Pulse telematics solution and the use of telematics by the brand’s dealers and customers,
Loughran says: “I’m happy that we have a solution to be used, but I don’t think it’s being used as well as it could be, with customers and dealers tapping into its real potential for scheduling machine maintenance and fully understanding their equipment. It’s a case of educating dealers and getting them to supply key customer machine performance data to help us help them. Those who do fully use it use it well. Molson Group (Parent company of Powerscreen California, Powerscren Washington and Powerscreen Western), for example, has embraced it to plan costs and maintenance schedules and to know exactly what’s going on with their customers’ machines at any point in time. It’s a really good way to be.
indicator] that we check monthly to see trends. If we start to see machine running hours drop, we know that not as much sand, gravel or other material is being processed. Perhaps the demand for sand and gravel has dropped in that customer’s market, or there’s a [technical] problem. After several months, this warrants a conversation between our dealer manager and a dealer to determine what’s happening in that customer’s operation and the wider regional market. This helps us understand and react quickly if we need to. It also reassures our dealers that we always stay on top of what’s happening in their markets.”
As well as manufacturing its machines in its ISO9001:2008-accredited Dungannon,
Getting a close-up look at machines at a demo site
Powerscreen WDC demo site attendees
Leicestershire, England, Powerscreen makes machines at its custom-built facilities in Hosur, India, Jiading, China and Oklahoma, in the US. The brand also supports customers from many satellite offices and distribution centres in Australia, France, Mexico, and the US out of Louisville, Kentucky. Powerscreen also fully utilises a state-of-the-art Terex MP spare parts facility in Dungannon constructed in 2015, with cutting-edge picking and packing technologies ensuring excellent service to parts customers worldwide. The site has tens of thousands of stock items available for same-day dispatch.
“We already leverage our wide manufacturing footprint, which is critical given our huge [order] backlog and the need to lower shipping and wider costs,” explains Loughran. “There are challenges to that, such as you can’t really sell China-made machines into the US due to the 25% import duty, for example. We do sell China-manufactured machines to other parts of the world, though. The same goes for our India-made machines sold in the local market and to customers further afield. We also sell some India-made Chieftain screens and mobile conveyors in North America. We also recently acquired Marco Conveyors [based in Mount Vernon, Missouri], so more conveyor manufacturing for North American customers will be done there.”
Loughran says Powerscreen is investing in robotic machine chassis welding at its Dungannon factory. “This will start in Q4 this year and finish in Q1 2024. There’s been a lot of investment in upgrading the equipment at the site, including in plasma and laser cutting,” says Loughran. “Our factory team is delighted. It will allow them to do their best job and help retain people. There’s been a massive improvement across the Dungannon facility. That includes the new state-of-theart, open-plan building for our office staff opening in the near future. It will again help retain talent and give our dealers a home to bring customers.”
Loughran is buoyed by many high-profile Powerscreen dealer network acquisitions, such as Molson Group, a leading UK equipment dealer, who recently added Arizona-based Powerscreen Western to its Powerscreen of California and Powerscreen of Washington portfolio.
“We are also seeing a second-generation of dealers coming through, such as at Lincom Group in Australia, with Roy Watterson, who sadly passed away a couple of years
ago, being replaced as CEO by his son, Stephen. We have put a lot of work into dealer succession planning. It’s critical to us, and a downside of having such a longestablished dealer network when you have highly successful dealer executives retiring or nearing retirement age. We are also moving away from having our dealer or territory managers based in Northern Ireland or the US and having them in the territories they represent, such as Felipe Ortega. Felipe is a former Komatsu dealer in Chile and has been working with Powerscreen for 13 years in that capacity. He is a strong, experienced individual, and we hired him three years ago as our Latin America sales manager to run that territory. Last year, he and his team generated impressive sales revenue in the region. Another example is Imran Kazi in the Middle East. He is based in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and covers the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Being in the territory and understanding the language and the culture is critical to succeeding.”
Where does Loughran see the biggest sales growth potential for Powerscreen?
“We have made a substantial investment in Saudi Arabia, signing ALJ [Abdul Latif Jameel Machinery] as a dealer around 18 months ago. This is a strong, professional machine dealer with over 75 years of experience.
“Knowing the lay of the land in Saudi Arabia and having dealers on the ground is critical. There are a lot of big new infrastructure projects there, especially in the north, and ALJ is the perfect partner to help us exploit these opportunities.”
In 2021, Terex MP purchased a new 18,000m² facility in the Jiading district of Shanghai to manufacture Powerscreen equipment, initially for the domestic China market. The brand entered China in 2016 in response to government investment in infrastructure and legislation supporting the use of recycled materials.
“China was a big market to go into. No matter the joint ventures and general sales we had tried over the years, we never quite cracked it. To be successful there, you have
to be there,” explains Loughran. “Although the Chinese market has slowed, we’re building the factory up and producing machines there for customers in other parts of the world. We are well positioned for future growth in the Chinese market.”
Loughran continues: “In Eastern Europe, we’ve suffered from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has also impacted surrounding countries. Russia has traditionally been a strong market for Powerscreen, and now it’s just gone. We will go back and rebuild our dealers in Eastern Europe. We recently hired an Eastern European business development manager, who is currently based in Dungannon. He’s Lithuanian, speaks multiple languages, and worked on the factory shop floor before going into aftersales. He may choose to base himself in Eastern Europe in the future, but having him in Dungannon is still a real asset to us in serving customers in that market.
“Southeast Asia is somewhat of a blank canvas for us. And then we have strong dealers in other regions who are maybe not maximising our potential market share. For example, we might be doing well in screen sales but not so much in crusher and conveyor sales. We want to work with those dealers to maximise sales of all Powerscreen products. It should be low-hanging fruit where we already have strong dealers and service teams.
“One of the things I wanted to get right when I came back to Powerscreen was that the people who go to a customer site, be it a sales, applications or aftersales specialist, have to be what I refer to as ‘the sharp end of the stick’. If they go from a Powerscreen factory, the customer should expect that that brand representative knows their stuff. The customer may have dealt with a dealer, but now they know someone from the factory is coming. It should be the same expectation a Mercedes or BMW car owner has when they’re told that someone from the Mercedes or BMW factory is coming to see them and will sort the problem out. Many of our current sales teams are very technical, and we are training others to give them credibility.”
Warrior 1200 Dual Power at a demo site
Asked about key global crushing and screening market trends, Loughran says Powerscreen is pushing its plant rental and rent-to-buy business. “A lack of plant availability over the last couple of years has depleted many rental fleets. Dealers were selling off rental units as they couldn’t get new machines. However, we are now seeing those rental fleets being replenished. For example, our Italian dealer, Impianti Industriali, is talking at the conference about how to deliver best practice in the machine rental business. They are fantastic and work closely with Terex [MP] to get finance and other support in place to secure agreements.
“In markets like the US, which has a big demand for rentals, rentals are repeat business, generating a constant revenue stream. The flip side is that you must have very strong rental service teams to support dealers. In the current climate, some customers are unsure whether projects will start or feel they could stop anytime. Given that, they are unsure whether to commit to capital investment. They may prefer to rent a machine for a few months. We see really strong rent utilisation across our dealer network, which is good.”
Loughran says there is also a global shift to off-highway machine manufacturers offering extended equipment warranties. “At this conference, we are delighted to be launching our new Powerscreen Protect initiative, which includes expanding our standard critical components warranty, as well as introducing a new reduced cost of extended warranty.”
Terex, CATAGEN and Wrightbus were recently awarded £6.27 million in funding by the UK Department for Energy Security & Net Zero through Phase 2 of the Red Diesel Replacement programme as part of the £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP).
The British Government funding is part of an £8.1 million project to decarbonise non-road mobile machinery, creating 15 highly skilled jobs and highlighting Northern Ireland’s manufacturing and engineering expertise that is now being used to reduce emissions globally.
The project will deliver a decarbonised end-to-end demonstration of a Powerscreen
Premiertrak 450E crusher and Chieftain 1700XE screener powered by green hydrogen and e-diesel at a working quarry site in Northern Ireland in 2024. Specifically, the Powerscreen equipment will be fuelled by CATAGEN’s ClimaHtech E-FUEL GEN and COMPRESSOR technology, and Wrightbus is supporting the development of a mobile hydrogen refueller.
The aim is to develop this complete solution to a pre-production readiness level and demonstrate the full systems approach at two demonstration sites in 2024. The benefits of this concept lie in integrating well-proven equipment with innovative technology that can deliver a fully decarbonised, robust solution for the industry.
I am keen to hear Loughran’s thoughts on Powerscreen’s central role in the project. “This is a huge project for us and a significant element of our ongoing commitment to sustainability. We did something similar a couple of years back with the Warrior 600 when we put batteries on it. We tried to break the mould by showing that you can have battery-powered crushers and screeners, despite the machines being seen as too heavy-duty for batteries and unable to regenerate power like you can via the braking systems on loading shovels, trucks and dumpers. It means the lifespan of your battery and the amount of time you can run your crusher and screener is limited. That lack of power regeneration is a real problem regarding battery-powered crushing and screening. So, technological advances around clean energy coupled with very efficient battery-powered and electrical solutions
are the only way it will work for us. This ambitious Red Diesel Project with CATAGEN therefore is critical. We are being trailblazers on this and setting out our stall that we’re not sitting back and accepting that it’s a set market, not just in terms of electrical machines but around new technologies.”
Expanding on Powerscreen’s approach to alternative-power-based machine operation, Loughran says: “A couple of years ago, we signed up Agder [Gruppen] as our dealer in Norway. Norway is heavily focused on electric and green energy, so the majority of what we sell to Agder are hybrid, dual-power or fully electric machines. That’s helped us further develop and push products, as did China, another electric-driven machine market. To compete there, we must have machines of that spec – not just for China but also to sell to the rest of the world. We make electric-powered models in Northern Ireland as well as China.”
Loughran says that while there has been a notable increase in Powerscreen’s dualpower machine business in Europe, he feels more needs to be done to increase the brand dealer and customer knowledge and awareness of dual-power and fully electric models. “There might be a fear factor of moving away from diesel. ‘What does it mean to go into electric?’ Our machines have traditionally been heavy-duty dieselhydraulic plants, with our dealer service teams used to dealing with mechanical issues –pumps, motors, and valves. When you add in electrics, controls, and automation, it can sometimes be concerning. As such, we need to develop our teams and our dealer network teams’ skill sets in hybrid and fully electric machines so they can better support customers. Once we’ve done that, we’ll see a significant increase in hybrid and fully electric machines used by European customers.”
The deployment of AI (artificial intelligence)-based solutions in the global business world has markedly increased. How does Loughran see Powerscreen using it? “Our helpdesk and aftersales teams are starting to use it. It provides quick access to key data. Our dealer portal and tools support their access to information from various devices 24/7. We are doing a lot of work to educate our dealers on accessing and using the data. AI will simplify this process, with dealers asking questions and getting quick responses [from an AI Chat Bot] via WhatsApp or another digital platform.” AB
Powerscreen China factory
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UNCOVERING THE HIDDEN TREASURE OF CALANCA VALLEY
A Swiss family-run natural stone product producer has benefited from longstanding productivity and efficiency gains from its Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) machines. Guy Woodford
Alfredo Polti is typical of the family businesses working in the natural stone industry in the south of Switzerland –and the secret of its success is a strong foundation. For more than 100 years, it has been following the tradition of craftsmanship in the Calanca Valley, yet its way of working and philosophy is anything but outdated, including its choice of quarrying machinery.
After owning some used 20- and 30-tonne Hitachi machines in the early Nineties, Alfredo Polti’s Arvigo-based gneiss quarry has been home to two ZX500LCHs, purchased in 2003; two ZX520LCR-3s delivered in 2010, and the latest acquisition of a new ZX530LCH-7 in 2022. The three generations of Zaxis large excavators were all purchased from the Swiss Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) (HCME) dealer, Probst Maveg.
“For the heavy work in the quarry, we have used Hitachi machines for excavating, preparing the benches and digging loose materials for many years,” says Giovanni Polti, Alfredo Polti’s managing director. He has been working with Alfredo Polti since 1990 and became an equal partner
in the business with his sister in 2000.
Giovanni’s grandfather started the quarry in 1920 before Alfredo Polti was established in 1950 by Giovanni’s father, Alfredo. The company employs 40 staff across the offices, production facility and quarrying site.
Alfredo Polti’s ZX530LCH-7 has accumulated 870 working hours and was supplied with a five-year, 5,000-hour fullservice contract by Probst Maveg. “It’s a very strong and powerful machine, but yet we also benefit from low fuel consumption,” adds Giovanni. “In our opinion, it’s very reliable for the tough jobs and working conditions in the quarry.
“We are also able to analyse the performance of the machine from the monthly ConSite reports that we receive from Hitachi. This not only helps in our analysis of the fuel efficiency but also on the travel and idle times – as well as making decisions on how to achieve the best use of the machine.”
Alfredo Polti has enjoyed a 30-year working relationship with Probst Maveg, and Giovanni confirms that they are satisfied with the service provided: “One of the most important factors in our loyalty to Hitachi is what we consider to be the best technical support available in the region from Probst
Excavator operator Lorenzo Savoia has worked exclusively with the ZX530LCH-7 since it was delivered to Alfredo Polti. Pic: Glenn Blackburn
Alfredo Polti bought its ZX350LCH-7 crawler excavator in 2022. Pic: Glenn Blackburn
Maveg. The closest branch is nearby in Ticino, and the engineer can be with us within 30 minutes if there’s any issues with the machine.
“Overall, we have much more than just a business relationship with Probst Maveg. They are open, honest and fair – and this is more important than saving some money elsewhere. We are very happy, and because of this we would not consider buying another brand of excavator.”
Lorenzo Savoia has 13 years’ experience as an operator and has worked exclusively with the ZX530LCH-7 since it was delivered 12 months previously: “I have found the Hitachi to be very fast, even though it is a massive machine. So, this makes it quite easy to operate.
“It has so much strength, and yet it’s very precise in moving and handling the blocks –so much so that we don’t damage them. The comfortable cab is very spacious. The seat is also of the highest quality, the controls are all within easy reach, and you can easily see the new colour monitor.”
After removing the top layers of materials, Alfredo Polti blasts the rock on the next level, and it falls onto the quarry floor. The ZX530LCH-7 removes and loads the loose rock onto an articulated dump truck. It also prepares the ground before the next blast and other excavation and grading work. In addition, the large Zaxis excavator lifts the 700-1,500m³ gneiss blocks extracted from the quarry’s face onto a wheeled loader
“We need all of the materials from the quarry for different applications and not just the best quality stone”
Giovanni Polti, Alfredo Polti’s managing director. Pic: Glenn Blackburn
Doosan Construction Equipment is now
Lorenzo Savoia, excavator operator
for transporting to the storage area before production.
Calanca gneiss is one of the oldest rock formations on the planet. The natural grey stone was formed over 300 million years ago and surfaced with the Alps 65 million years ago. The entire production of around 18,000m³ of gneiss per year was moved to the current location of Arvigo in 1960 to further process the raw material in a modern workshop. Between six and 10% is exported, mainly to neighbouring Germany, Italy and Austria, but pieces from the Calanca Valley have also been delivered to Japan and the USA.
“Gneiss is a metamorphic stone and is as hard as granite. However, it can be easily split, and we extract up to 140 tonnes daily, “ Giovanni explains. “We need all of the materials from the quarry for different applications and not just the best quality stone. Our main business is landscaping, but we also supply our customers with products for cladding buildings, tiles and kitchen worktops.
“We are committed to an environmentally conscious approach and an appreciation of the nature around us. To reduce the impact to a minimum, we optimise our work processes, for example, by using diamond wire, blasting and drilling techniques for stone extraction. We also reprocess the geological and technical waste into gravel, which is reused in road construction and for our quarry needs.”
A Hitachi ZX350LCH-7 crawler excavator is hard at work in Switzerland for Alfredo Polti. Pic: Glenn Blackburn
Italian eyes on the sustainability prize
The Italian off-highway equipment market is evolving, with sustainability at the forefront of customers' and manufacturers’ minds. Guy Woodford reports
Italian road construction and repair machinery makers have seen their solutions in great demand in the last couple of years on projects linked to Italy's Recovery & Resilience Plan (RRP) developed within a broader €190bn-plus NextGenerationEU programme.
There are over 100 active Italian infrastructure works, including many involving road construction and repair, with approved investments of over €100bn. Meanwhile, the Italian Government continues its €5.3bn Infrastructure Operational Plan to develop road, rail, and port infrastructure.
The above requires plenty of aggregates, so how much is Italy producing a year? According to the latest Aggregates Europe – UEPG (European Aggregates Association) estimates, Italy produced 164 million tonnes in 2021, including 60 million tonnes of recycled aggregates. The country has 1,120 producers (companies) who run 2,800 extraction sites (quarries & pits). In terms of tonnage produced, the closest comparative nation in Europe is Spain,
whose 1,044 producers running 1,828 extraction sites produced an estimated 142 million tonnes of aggregates in 2021.
In the first six months of 2023, 12,197 construction machines were sold in Italy, up 6% compared to the first half of 2022. By sales category, 11,852 earthmoving machines were sold (+7%) and 345 roadbuilding machines (-21%). Based on a comparison between the first and second quarters of 2023 (+29%), the growth trend is stable compared to last year's first and second quarters (+27%). These results, analysed by Unacea, the Italian trade association for construction equipment, and based on sales by manufacturers and importers of earthmoving and roadbuilding machinery, were presented during an online press conference sponsored by Ecomondo Mexico.
“The construction machinery market in Italy remained stable in the second quarter of 2023, despite slowing down because of the energy shock and increase in supply chain prices and the combined negative effects on orders and margins," said Michele Vitulano, president of Unacea. "We now have to push the
government to ensure support for industry in this sector, which plays an important role in the country's balance of trade, through public intervention to develop our production sector designed to update the machinery fleet with positive effects on productivity, efficiency and environmental sustainability."
Ecomondo Mexico, the trade fair for green technology and the circular economy in Central America, is scheduled for 17-19 April 2024 in Guadalajara. The last edition attracted more than 1,200 visitors from over 25 countries, more than 150 exhibitors and 5,600 buyers, occupying an exhibition area of 9,000m².
GlobalData, a leading business intelligence consultancy, states that Italy's construction market size was worth €283.25bn ($299.4bn) in 2022. The market is expected to decline at an AAGR {annual average growth rate) of more than 1% during 2024-2027. The Italian construction industry is expected to weaken in the initial part of the forecast period due to a slowing economy, elevated inflation, weak manufacturing activities, slowing exports, and, most significantly,
Panorama of Macerata in Italy's Le Marche region
the winding down of government-funded support for works in the residential sector. The market is expected to grow again and regain growth momentum in 2026. Investments in transport infrastructure, renewable energy, and housing projects will support this growth.
The Verona-based SaMoTer construction, quarrying, roadbuilding, and recycling machinery exhibition’s central role in Italy's industrial site, construction machinery and equipment value chain was recognised at this year's event (3-7 May 2023) by prominent national and local government institutions. Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini inaugurated the 31st edition of the popular event. At the same time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, highlighted how SaMoTer is a key part of the integrated foreign promotion strategy for Italian companies.
In his speech at SaMoTer 2023, Salvini praised the positive work of the country's construction sector. "I think SaMoTer celebrates the positive side of Italy that is unafraid to dig, work, modernise and go faster. When we excavate, build, move faster and innovate, there is employment, a future and hope: the building and construction sector is vital."
"It is a very good sign for the Italian construction machinery industry when Government ministers are coming to SaMoTer," noted Sara Quotti Tubi, the event manager, talking to Aggregates Business during the exhibition. "I battled hard to get them here. It's a platform for our exhibiting companies and trade associations to tell the ministers how they can help our industry and for the ministers to learn how they can best do that."
Asked what she thinks about the current health of the Italian construction machinery sector, Quotti Tubi said: "I have read the latest data from Unacea, and the market is undergoing a period of stabilisation after a
“When we excavate, build, move faster and innovate, there is employment, a future and hope”
Matteo
very active six months. Many investments in new machinery have been made. There are also challenges, such as rising material costs, the Russia-Ukraine War and other issues. The overall trend, though, is positive."
Premium asphalt plant and road construction machinery manufacturer Ammann says the Italian government’s lower tax incentives for construction companies
and contractors investing in premium sustainability-minded asphalt plants and other off-highway equipment had helped boost product sales in the last couple of years. “This led to many companies replacing older asphalt plants and other machines in their fleet. It was more due to the tax incentives than any increase in transport and other infrastructure works, ” says Amman’s commercial marketing and special plants director, Marzio Ferrini.
Ferrini says some of the company’s largest customers have invested in new asphalt plants and other Ammann equipment for their work on major projects, such as the reconstruction of the A4 Milan-Turin motorway and the upgrade of the A22, which connects the city of Modena and the A1 motorway to Austria through the Brenner Pass.
The release of NextGenerationEU programme funds for transport infrastructure works, ongoing Italian government infrastructure investment, and construction companies and contractors looking to lower their equipment fleets’ CO2 (carbon dioxide) and VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions to comply with tougher Italian environmental regulations and get work from an increasingly green-minded customer base will, says Ferrini, help fuel further off-highway equipment investment over the next few years.
Salvini, Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Pic: Caterpillar
Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini inaugurating the 31st edition of SaMoTer in Verona. Pic: FotoEnnevi Veronafiere
SaMoTer 2023 attracted big attendee and exhibitor numbers to Veronafiere in Verona.
Pic: FotoEnnevi Veronafiere
“There is also a greater emphasis on making clever use of recycled building materials and a bigger focus on more highquality infrastructure projects,” he continues.
“This makes us see the Italian market going forward from a good perspective.”
Looking at the makeup of the Italian asphalt plant market, Ferrini says it is very different to other major European markets.
“Italy has the same number of working asphalt plants as France and Germany, but three main French players control 90% of the country’s asphalt plants. They are part of big construction materials groups whose public image is very important to them. You can invest a lot of time with them talking about optimising their CO2 reduction. Italy has 450 asphalt plants and 400 asphalt plant customers. The conversations with Italian customers are different.”
Ferrini says that the larger construction companies working on transport infrastructure projects in northern Italy focus on data exchange and compatibility between their asphalt plants and job site machinery.
“We are running some very experimental projects using the Ammann as1 plant control system to adjust the odour and VOC coming out of the asphalt plant to the level of job site machinery work going on at a given time. This is done through a lot of data exchange and the fact that our as1 plant control is light years ahead in its market. It’s a highly sophisticated and high-performing solution.”
Ferrini also highlights growing Italian and wider European customer interest in Ammann's blue smoke capture system, which is said to significantly reduce emissions from loading asphalt mix onto trucks. Ammann Blue Smoke Treatment (BST) captures fumes that previously would have escaped during loading and redirects them to a multi-stage filtration system. Given that it doesn’t require expensive confinement equipment, BST is also a cost-effective solution.
Tecnoidea Impianti is a leading Italian
global water treatment plant company specialising in solutions for aggregate and soil remediation customers.
Company owner and chief operating officer Matteo Parolini believes the Italian aggregates market is in a transition phase, where the traditional approach to quarrying and construction is increasingly looking to embrace a sustainable circular economy.
“Everybody knows very well we cannot stop extracting aggregates from quarries,
but the new challenge is to recover more and more materials from the demolitions of existing buildings (C&D material) and industrial sites requiring soil remediation (soil
Parolini continues: “The regulatory framework, as usual, is quite complicated: there are opportunities that the National Recovery and Resilience Plan offers, but there are interpretative and implementation culties that the new end-of-waste regulation poses. This leads to great enthusiasm among entrepreneurs for new processes and technologies, offset by high application uncertainty that may slow down
Parolini says a good market health indicator was the 17% increase in attendees at the Ecomondo 2023 fair in Rimini (7-10 November) compared to 2022. The annual showpiece event highlights the latest technologies, services and industrial solutions in the green and circular economy sector. “It was a pleasant surprise to see among the visitors a great number of quarrying professionals who were no longer satisfied with a conventional extraction process.”
A Tecnoidea Impianti soil-washing plant in Milan Santa Giulia, a green and residential district under construction in Milan’s southeast periphery, is described by Parolini as a key installation reference for the Italian market. It has been operating since early 2022, five days a week. Fifteen hundred tonnes/day of polluted soil are washed, and 1000 tonnes/day are recovered as ‘End of Waste’.
“New soil remediation projects are also coming in the near future, like Caffaro in the Brescia area or Bagnoli in the Naples area. Most of the investments will be allocated to the southern part of Italy, and major infrastructure will be built, such as the bridge over the Strait of Messina.
“For 2024, Tecnoidea Impianti has already contracted several projects in Italy for soilwashing plants, including the treatment of unconventional materials such as drilling mud, road sweeping, and C&D. After proper treatment, this can constitute a green building materials source.” AB
An Ammann ABA 180 UniBatch plant in Puglia, Italy. Pic: Ammann
A Tecnoidea Impianti soil-washing plant in Milan Santa Giulia. Pic: Tecnoidea Impianti
Tecnoidea Impianti owner Matteo Parolini (right) with Metcam owner Daniel Camuso at Ecomondo 2023. Pic: Tecnoidea Impianti
Develon targets growth built on change and innovation
Formerly Doosan Construction Equipment, Develon is an ambitious new brand built on a strong off-highway machine manufacturing history looking to make a big global impact, with a particular focus on the European market. In an Aggregates Business Q&A, HD Hyundai Infracore CEO Young-Cheul Cho discusses Develon’s exciting growth plans
How would you evaluate the global off-highway equipment customer market reception of the Develon brand since its launch?
Changing our brand name gave us a new start and aligned with our aim of moving towards change and innovation. Since the global launch of Develon in January this year, we have engaged in various activities such as dealer meetings, customer events, exhibitions, media work, and much more to share the new brand with customers all over the world and strengthen brand presence. Through these events, we have seen that our brand presence and confidence among customers are strong and secure.
How important is the European market to Develon?
We believe the European market is pivotal in elevating Develon into a top global player for several reasons. In the first instance, the region has large market demands, including infrastructure construction, mining, urban development, agriculture and landscaping. Europe is also one of the first regions where we have introduced eco-friendly construction equipment and new technologies, making it a crucial market when aiming to become a premium brand.
How do you view the European construction, quarrying and mining equipment market – what are the biggest growth opportunities for Develon?
Building on the European construction market in which we have stable product demand, we are expanding to target the larger quarrying and mining equipment market as we see great potential in this area. Develon has quality products such as large excavators, large wheeled loaders and ADTs [articulated dump trucks], and an established sales network, making it easier to enter new markets. Surface mining is a market with great opportunities as it is similar to construction equipment. We have been engaging in related events such as the international demonstration fair steinexpo 2023 held in Homberg, Germany, in August, to exhibit and demonstrate our latest mining/quarrying excavators, wheeled loaders, and ADTs, showing the excellence of Develon equipment to customers.
Since the brand’s launch, Develon has expanded its product portfolio from mid-tolarge machines to mini-excavators, and we are working on further boosting our market position by strengthening our sales network. Develon is also actively participating in marketing activities to enhance brand awareness by connecting with customers at different levels and occasions, including product exhibitions at construction equipment trade shows, sponsoring the International Challenge Football Match between Wales and South Korea at the Cardiff City Stadium, OOHs, online ads and more.
Young-Cheul Cho, HD Hyundai Infracore CEO, says Europe is a “pivotal” market for Develon’s global development. Pic: Develon
“We plan to interact more actively with our customers by disclosing our efforts and processes to tackle climate change”
What are the biggest challenges you're facing as a manufacturer, and what are the main challenges facing your European customers?
The construction equipment market fluctuates in accordance with the status of national construction and civil engineering industries. It is difficult to predict the market precisely, so the key is to flexibly respond to different industry cycles, in terms of sales and finance, to survive and grow in the market.
Europe consists of different countries with different market and environmental requirements, meaning that customer needs and equipment usage differ based on the country. That is why providing different specifications, options and features is important, but such versatility also causes confusion and difficulty when manufacturing different products.
Europe is also a leader in emission and eco-friendly regulations, meaning it is the market in which most brands first introduce newly launched products. This requires timely action towards fuel consumption reduction and electrification, thus becoming an accelerator for the company’s technology development.
Could you outline your European business's growth strategy over the next 3-5 years?
We plan to create balance among our sales regions and product portfolio to create a full line-up that will help us grow into a global top player. Where we have a weaker presence, we plan to strengthen our dealer network while expanding our MEX line-up as Develon MEX products are near reaching the level of other leading global brands. We also plan to enhance customer satisfaction by delivering products that match market requests, such as diversifying excavator and wheeled loader options.
In addition, we are making investments to add more business location hubs within Europe. For example, we will establish a direct sales market in Germany, one of the largest markets we are involved in. A new customer support and training centre is being planned in Mannheim, Germany, where we had a ground-breaking ceremony this September. Along with the customer support and training centre, the 10,650m² site will include a machine demonstration area and parts warehouse targeted for opening in H2 2024. This site will be operated as a direct sales centre, the first of its kind for the European brand.
What is Develon’s approach to decarbonisation and the wider sustainability and circular economy agenda? What innovations in this area can we expect from the brand?
We are integrating ways to tackle these issues into our business strategy as part of wider efforts to deal with the world climate crisis. Our first goal is to reorganise our current business portfolio and focus on developing hydrogen engines, electrification and other eco-friendly approaches to lead the next construction equipment generation. The second goal is to join global efforts to solve the global climate crisis by reaching carbon neutrality in our businesses by 2050. We plan to gradually reduce GHG emissions by 42% by 2030 and by 71% by 2040, compared to the levels in 2021.
“We have also become the first in the global construction equipment industry to join the RE100 initiative, which confirms that all energy used in business sites will be generated from renewable energy (solar, wind) by 2040. Such efforts have been initiated in our Gunsan plant in Korea, and will gradually expand to other global sites. Lastly, we plan to interact more actively with our customers by disclosing our efforts and processes to tackle climate change. Along with HD Hyundai’s Construction Equipment business, Develon co-released the TCFD [Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures] report on its official website last June. This report will help identify financial risks and opportunities caused by climate change while assisting decision-making as it transparently discloses strategies towards climate change.”
A Develon DX800LC-7
The Develon DL550-7 is a productive and high-performing wheeled loader. Pic: Develon
What R&D and product development is Develon involved in around alternative power/fuel for its European customer machines?
Develon is addressing the market with low-emission equipment to meet the Stage V standard and zero-emission electric excavators. Demand for eco-friendly equipment is expected to increase as environmental regulation policies and subsidies increase worldwide. Aside from governmental policies, certain companies will make purchasing and using eco-friendly equipment mandatory to institute ESG management. According to the global market research institution IDTechEx, global sales of electric construction equipment in 2042 are expected to reach 527,700 units, an eightyfold increase from the 6,300 units sold in 2022.
We are working on technology R&D to change our construction equipment line-up to electric machines and to transform our mid-to-large equipment to FCEVs (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles). As part of this, we have just launched our new 1.7-tonne mini electric excavator equipped with our proprietary battery pack, 20 of which have already been sold in the European market. We are developing a 14-tonne wheeled electric excavator, which will be presented for the first time in Europe within the next three years, while the electric versions of each of our main models are planned to be developed by 2031. This will create a full electric product line from our small equipment to the mid-to-large equipment in our range.
As part of our effort to develop eco-friendly equipment, we are researching ways to improve battery efficiency and the electrification system for mid-sized or smaller equipment. H2 internal combustion engines (H2ICE) for 30 tonne and larger equipment are also being developed simultaneously. The development of H2ICEs is expected to be completed by 2025, while application tests on 20-30-tonne excavators are planned for 2026. We will continue efforts to proactively secure technologies related to applying eco-friendly power sources to different types of equipment.
Unmanned, automated machines are still developing, and requests for automated
solutions are gradually increasing in the global market. There have been some collaboration requests as interest in unmanned equipment demonstration in various infrastructure construction sites, road construction, and mining sites has been increasing. Develon aims to collaborate with different sites to develop unmanned, automated technologies and work on on-site inspections to advance commercialisation of such future technologies.
We are continuing our development of the various technology bricks, which are part of the future complete solution CONCEPT-X. We have won two CES 2024 INNOVATION awards, which will be presented in Las Vegas, USA, in January 2024. Smart Collision Mitigation is a system that prevents the risk of job site accidents, and X-Agent is an AI-based machine-assistance solution that helps advance machine operation and productivity.
How would you describe the relationship between Develon and Hyundai Construction Equipment, being under the same umbrella of HD Hyundai Group? What trading advantages are there for Develon in being part of such a huge global group?
HD Hyundai is based on a holding company structure in which each company is in charge of independent and responsible management. HD Hyundai Infracore (HDI) with the brand Develon and HD Hyundai Construction Equipment (HCE) with the brand Hyundai will continue to operate independently with their brands in the market but will be cooperating under HD Hyundai XiteSolution, the intermediary holding company which represents the construction equipment business of HD Hyundai, to build more market presence. The two brands, Develon and Hyundai, will
An aerial view of BKT’s Bhuj facility work together in various business sectors such as purchasing, R&D, human resources and more to create synergistic effects for the entire construction equipment business. As the two companies stay under HD Hyundai, they will be able to grow into leading players for future technologies as there will be more opportunities to research various fields such as AI convergence, hydrogen value chains and digital transformation.
What does Develon offer its European customers regarding machine servicing, maintenance, premium parts replacement, and production performance monitoring?
We have a service called Develon Fleet Management, which monitors and manages not only customer’s individual equipment but also fleets, all free of charge. Customers have responded positively to this service as it makes it easier to monitor and manage productivity, breakdowns and maintenance information for single or fleet equipment. From next year, we will operate an Uptime Centre in Prague, Czech Republic, where our European HQ is located. This will enable us to respond ASAP whenever customers experience equipment failure, minimising machine downtime. We also plan to provide preventative measures for machine maintenance, such as oil sampling, to strengthen equipment management.
How does the brand plan to further improve its offer across these areas?
We have been providing digital support through Develon Fleet Management for certain equipment management and maintenance processes, but we will be expanding services to a whole new level to cover the entire machine lifecycle. This will provide customers with digital support while operating any of their equipment. AB
Develon’s DA45-7
4x4 articulated dump truck is a good option for European quarry customers. Pic: Develon
Rokbak expects its global ADT sales to be up by 50% this year
Strong US market drives global ADT sector
Business in the global articulated hauler sector is being driven by a buoyant US market, where the Biden administration has promised US$2.4 trillion in infrastructure expenditure for the period through to 2030. Liam McLoughlin reports
The global market for articulated dump trucks (ADTs) is currently being driven by a strong US market which is still growing, and there is likely to be a slowdown but not a fall in demand. That is the view of Guy Wilson, global sales director at Scotland-based articulated hauler manufacturer Rokbak.
Two-thirds of Rokbak’s sales are currently in the US, and Wilson estimates the global sales market for articulated haulers is more than 10,000 vehicles per year and is still growing.
Wilson says that the company could have sold more haulers than it actually has, if not for the intervention of the pandemic. “During Covid and post-Covid we faced restrictions on materials supply, but this year I am planning to do 50% more vehicle sales globally than in 2022.
“The cost of money is going up which doesn’t help, but the Biden administration’s infrastructure project expenditure has gone through the roof,” Wilson says. “So, there is a lot of money that has been promised going forward.”
He adds that another positive influence on demand in the US is that a lot of dealers want to replace haulers in their rental fleet and, because manufacturers have not been able to produce them, they have been hanging on to machines that they could have sold.
“They have been hanging onto those machines because they can’t get replacements, “says Wilson. “It’s not just for us, it’s other manufacturers as well. There is that replacement rental fleet demand, and then spin-off into second-hand sales. In addition to the large number of direct sales there is a lot of ‘try before you buy’ for, say, a one-year-old machine that you have rented and then buy at a discount.”
He says there is still potential for Rokbak to expand its business in the US and Canada. The largest hauler market the company does
not currently have a presence in is South Africa and it is currently in talks with a dealer about entering the country.
The regional nature of the markets in France, Germany and Italy presents barriers to business expansion as there are no major national hauler dealers to work with.
“If the market is too small the incentive for someone to sell ADTs is quite expensive,” Wilson says. “There are ways round this and we are trying to partner with other OEMs to use their networks. Most of the dealers in South Africa operate at a national level and all the head offices are based in Johannesburg which makes it easier to deal with.”
He estimates that around 20% of Rokbak’s business is in the quarrying sector, with the majority of the rest being construction.
In terms of technology developments in the ADT sector, Wilson says there is increasing use of telematics and operators are looking for more information on their machines and how they operate.
“Historically telematics has been of more use to the dealer than the customer,” he adds. “If the fault code clicks up then the dealer knows what the problem is and can take the right kit along to fix it first time, so it cuts down the number of visits.
“From the customer’s point of view, they can analyse a lot of information to help optimise efficiency. For example, they can look at fuel efficiency and identify areas where there is higher than expected idling time and then look at the haul routes to make informed decisions for improvements.
“We are including options such as weighload systems which provide information on payloads and exactly what has been lifted across the day. That is definitely the way forward.
“Our UK dealer has a system which basically links all the machines from the different manufacturers, so they can pull together all the maintenance and fuel costs
and then produce a dashboard. That is the future because, for the customer, if they sign up for this dealer and this package, they can get everything including all the reports.”
Wilson says that Rokbak’s owner, Volvo Group, is looking at various power technologies within the group including batteries, hydrogen and hybrid, and that large amounts of R&D spend are being invested in these at a group level.
Rokbak was acquired by the Volvo Group in 2014 from Terex Corporation under its previous name of Terex Trucks, and rebranded as Rokbak in 2021.
Wilson adds that although Rokbak’s next generation of new haulers that it will be introducing over the forthcoming two years to replace its current RA30 and RA40 trucks will remain diesel, the new electrical architecture will provide a platform for future driveline technologies and electromobility that gives the company a stepping stone towards significant sustainability and efficiency gains.
“We are linked in to the engine technology developments in the Volvo group. We are working to make sure that what we do and the platform is compatible with other fuel sources later.”
He says that Rokbak works closely with its customers and although they appreciate new technologies and fuel systems are coming, there isn’t currently a demand for these from customers at this point in time.
Wilson adds that Rokbak does not compete with haulers made by parent company Volvo, which are positioned as a premium product at a premium price.
Hauler manufacturers can also face skills shortages, and the age profile in factories in the sector tends towards the top end, with difficulties in recruiting younger people in areas such as welding. Wilson adds that dealers also struggle to recruit young mechanics.
Volvo Construction Equipment says that increasing customer demand for real-time data on machine productivity, health and location in the Middle East has led it to start including the Volvo Co-Pilot hardware for Haul Assist on new articulated haulers in parts of the region.
To cater to this growing demand and support customers in the Middle East, Volvo CE adds that it is including the hardware for Volvo Co-Pilot with Haul Assist as standard on new articulated haulers, initially in Saudi Arabia and UAE.
It says that the real-time insights provided by Volvo Co-Pilot with Haul Assist empower articulated hauler customers to optimise their operations for greater productivity and profitability.
The manufacturer states that it has witnessed a remarkable shift over the past few years in the approach to connectivity and digitalisation within the construction and quarrying industries in the Middle East.
“Mounting pressure faced by customers in the region to optimise their operations and reduce costs has sparked an increasing recognition of the power that connectivity and data hold,” says Ilkay Fidan, manager for market area Middle East at Volvo CE. "Platforms such as Volvo Co-Pilot have emerged as invaluable tools, empowering both individual operators and fleet or operations managers with the insight to make informed decisions and unlock untapped potential."
Every new articulated hauler in the Saudi Arabia and UAE markets will now come equipped with the 10-inch Android colour Volvo Co-Pilot touchscreen, along with all the necessary pressure and position sensors to provide real-time operational data to the cab display and the cloud. These components will be installed in the factory, ensuring seamless integration and functionality.
With this inclusion of hardware, customers in Saudi Arabia and UAE who wish to leverage the benefits of Haul Assist need only to request the local authorised Volvo dealer, Famco, to activate the software subscription. This activation can be carried
out at any point, allowing customers the flexibility to adopt Haul Assist when they are ready.
Quarrying, mining and construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar has completed the validation of technology for haulers from wireless solutions provider Rajant.
Cat says its in-house validation of Rajant BreadCrumbs, LX5 CA radios, will enable field trials with this Rajant product and Cat MineStar Command for hauling.
Sean McGinnis, vice president and general manager of technology and global sales
support at Caterpillar, says that this validation is a key step to provide additional options for Cat’s customers when deploying Command for hauling in their operation.
He added: “We greatly appreciate the support from the Rajant team throughout the validation process.”
Rajant Corporation provides Kinetic Mesh networking systems, a class of networking utilising fully autonomous nodes to achieve high performance even under ever-changing conditions. Using its patented InstaMesh routing technology, Rajant networks provide dynamic network connections in a mobile environment, routing traffic through the best available route as network topology is constantly changing.
Rajant's wireless nodes have multiple radios operating at different frequencies and route traffic through mobile nodes to improve connectivity and throughput in dynamic environments. This approach creates more available radio paths, delivering uninterrupted communications where other solutions have failed. The next step is to validate the solution with Command for hauling in production at a mine site to confirm performance and scalability.
“Achieving Caterpillar validation has always been a critical requirement for Rajant, since our dealer/integrator network frequently gets asked about supporting autonomy,” said Geoff Smith, Rajant executive vice president of global sales and marketing. AB
The Rokbak production facility in Motherwell, Scotland
Volvo CE is including Co-Pilot hardware for Haul Assist on new ADTs in the Middle East
A revved-up engine evolution
It is a lively off-highway machine engine market with plenty of exciting alternative fuel-based projects underway, and new production facilities opened and earmarked. Guy Woodford reports
In front of several senior company executives, local dignitaries and international press, Cummins officially unveiled its brand-new European Master Rebuild Centre (MRC) for high horsepower engines in Krakow, Poland – the first in Europe.
The US-headquartered company has invested $10 million in developing the Centre, which remanufactures Cummins high horsepower engines with displacements of 19 to 78 litres and in the 450 to 3500 horsepower range. This includes Cummins' renowned QSK19, QSK38 and QSK60 engines.
The new 4,600m² facility has been developed to increase Cummins' capacity to meet growing demand across several sectors, such as large quarrying, mining, construction, marine, rail and power generation, for high horsepower engines, rebuilt and tested to the highest quality standards in a factory environment. This strategic move will enhance Cummins' services in Europe, meeting the needs of new and existing customers across the region.
Cummins rebuilt engines are increasingly becoming the first option for customers who want reduced costs and greater engine uptime. The manufacturer's engine rebuilds go through a six-stage remanufacturing process that sees the engine disassembled, cleaned, inspected, re-machined, reassembled with Genuine Cummins parts and tested. As a result, the engine's life is extended, and its performance is enhanced.
A Cummins rebuilt engine has a much shorter lead time than a factoryordered engine and performs to the same specification as a new engine with a typical cycle time of 35 working days. A remanufactured engine provides up-front savings for customers compared to a new, first-fit engine, increasing revenue and efficiency.
Cummins will offer a range of rebuild and remanufacture options at the Centre. Fifty people are employed at the European [Krakow] MRC and wider Krakow site, with 90 working for Cummins across Poland. Each MRC’s Ultimate Remanufacture solution sees the full dismantling and reassembling of the
engine, replacing all worn components with Cummins Genuine parts, including wear and tear components. Ultimate Remanufacture engines have a full factory warranty equivalent to a new engine.
The company chose to locate the Centre in Krakow for several reasons. It is close to an international airport and major highway, centrally located within Cummins' European network, and near several large-scale industrial operations that rely on top-end Cummins power and new customers. It also benefits from the highly skilled team based at Cummins' existing Krakow site.
It is the newest of 13 Cummins Master Rebuild Centres worldwide, all providing rebuilds in factory environments. The European MRC is equipped with two 15-tonne overhead cranes, jib cranes, a test cell with an engine dynamometer, a paint booth, two disassembly bays, four highhorsepower and three mid-range/heavy-duty assembly bays, a MILLIPORE cleanliness testing stand, and Europe's claimed first Bake & Blast device for cleaning components.
At the official site opening on 4 October 2023, Ann-Kristin de Verdier, executive managing director for Cummins' Europe Distribution Business, said: "We're thrilled that this state-of-the-art facility has officially opened. It results from a significant and strategic investment to deliver more choice to our customers across Europe, ultimately helping them reduce costs and boost productivity."
Cummins’ first European Master Rebuild Centre for high horsepower engines was recently opened in Krakow, Poland. Pic: Cummins
Ann-Kristin de Verdier and Antonio Leitao unveil the plaque to mark the official opening of Cummins’ new Krakow Master Rebuild Centre for high horsepower engines. Pic: Cummins
"Cummins has been manufacturing diesel engines for over 100 years, and while we would always be happy to supply customers with a new engine, if there is a way to keep an existing engine working to peak performance, that should be the first option. That's why we have built this new Centre."
The new European MRC is an integral feature of a new Krakow base, home to a warehouse, workshop and administrative offices. The new Centre is expected to be key in Cummins' wider growth strategy in Poland and Europe.
Cummins also developed the new facility to support its Destination Zero and Planet 2050 commitments to environmental sustainability. It features solar panels, charging points, a high-tech microbiological wash bay that reuses 100% of the on-site water and other state-of-the-art solutions. The engine remanufacturing process also requires 85% less energy than manufacturing new engines and reduces the use of raw materials, packaging and the production of scrap metal.
announced the launch of a three-year programme to demonstrate an advanced hydrogen-hybrid power solution built on its new Cat C13D engine platform.
Starting in the first quarter of 2024, Caterpillar will develop a transient-capable system for off-highway applications. The project will demonstrate how state-of-theart control systems and electric-hybrid
Caterpillar will serve as the prime contractor on the project, providing engine research and development and system integration. As the project progresses, other industry and academic collaborators will be brought into the programme to provide additional specialist expertise. The initiative will be delivered at Caterpillar facilities in Chillicothe, Ill. and San Antonio, Texas.
With research commencing in 2024, the project is supported and partially funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). It is included among 45 projects across 18 states and Washington, D.C., receiving funding to advance research, development, demonstration, and deployment in several areas critical to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transportation sector
The hydrogen-hybrid power demonstration project is the latest in a series of initiatives built upon Caterpillar’s 35 years of enterprise experience in hydrogen fuels.
“Every off-highway application has its own unique duty cycles, lifecycle demands and performance expectations, and this complexity is driving the development of a wide range of power solutions for the energy transition,” said Steve Ferguson, senior vice president of Caterpillar Industrial Power Systems. “One size does not fit all, which is why we’ve engineered flexibility into the C13D engine to serve as our platform of the future.”
Caterpillar’s hydrogen-hybrid demonstration project leverages the performance, packaging, and fuel flexibility engineered into the new 13-litre Cat C13D engine platform.
Cummins recently set a new quarterly net cash from operating activities record of US$1.5bn, a huge rise on the $382mn recorded in Q3 2022.
In further disclosed Q3 2023 results, Cummins posted a 15% year-on-year revenue rise to $8.4bn and a GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) net income of $656mn.
The company's sales in North America were up 16%, and international revenues increased 13% due to the addition of Meritor and strong demand across most global markets.
On November 10, 2023, Caterpillar
Caterpillar’s three-year programme to demonstrate an advanced hydrogen-hybrid power solution will be built on its new Cat C13D engine platform. Pic: Caterpillar
“This complexity is driving the development of a wide range of power solutions”
Steve Ferguson, senior vice president, Caterpillar Industrial Power Systems
A Cummins’ QSK60 MCRS Tier 4 engine in the testing area at the Krakow Master Rebuild Centre. Pic: Cummins
Unveiled at the CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 construction exhibition in March, dieselpowered versions of the Cat C13D engine offer eight power ratings from 456 to 690 hp (340 to 515 kW) with up to 3,200 Nm of peak torque. It provides up to a 20% increase in power and up to 25% more low-speed torque than the previous generation of Cat diesel engines in its power class.
The inline, six-cylinder Cat C13D enables the use of renewable liquid fuels such as 100% HVO, B100 Distilled Biodiesel, and even up to B100 Standard Biodiesel by working with the local Cat dealer. In addition to using hydrogen, its core architecture is designed for the future development of spark-ignited natural gas capabilities.
Available for early OEM pilots in 2025 and scheduled for production in 2026, the Cat C13D engine is targeted for a wide range of off-highway equipment, including rock crushers, screeners, and grinders; trenchers; agriculture tractors, harvesters, self-propelled sprayers and woodchippers; materialhandling equipment; and large industrial pumps.
Off-highway engine giant Perkins and Equipmake, the UK-based engineering specialist pioneering the development and production of electrification products across the automotive, aerospace, bus, and coach industries, are collaborating on a new off-highway hybrid system project.
Awarded a total of £11.14m in government funding through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), with Equipmake awarded £3.24m, the project’s objective is to support the development and demonstration of an electrified, lower carbon hybrid powertrain for the global off-highway market, enabling vehicle and machinery OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to accelerate their transition from fossil fuels.
Led by Peterborough, England-based Perkins, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar, with Equipmake providing e-powertrain technology and Loughborough University its advanced engine analytics and emissions control, the three-and-a-half-year project will see the design, development and demonstration of a ‘multi-fuel drop-in’ hybrid powertrain, which will be an alternative to existing diesel solutions in off-highway vehicles and will support the UK and global off-highway industries to deliver net-zero objectives.
Capable of running on multiple lowercarbon intensity fuels such as bio-methanol, eFuels or zero-carbon fuels such as
An aerial view of BKT’s Bhuj facility hydrogen, the heavy-duty hybrid system will feature a state-of-the-art bespokedesigned high torque density electric motor and inverter, alongside all associated power electronics, which will be completely designed and developed in-house by Equipmake.
Liebherr has recognised the possibility of burning hydrogen almost emission-free directly in a hydrogen combustion engine and has already developed prototypes: the H964 and the H966. The latter has already been showcased in a 40-tonne crawler excavator, and a hydrogen-based fuel cell in conjunction with an electric motor was showcased in a wheeled loader at bauma 2022.
The six-cylinder H966 engine and Liebherr's Hydrogen Direct Injection system were showcased by Dennis Herrmann, business development manager for Liebherr-Components Deggendorf, during a visit to Liebherr’s facility in Bad Schussenried in BadenWürttemberg, southern Germany, on the second day of Liebherr’s recent 50th annual international construction trade press information tour.
During a press conference on the first day of the tour, Stephen Albrecht, co-managing director of Liebherr International, stressed that alternative fuels are already used to power combustion engines in many Liebherr off-highway machines.
“The advantage of these alternative fuels, such as HVO [hydrotreated vegetable oil], is that they can be used by existing fleets and meet the very high energy requirements of certain applications. We see them as an important bridge technology until carbonneutral drop-in replacement fuels, such as
Perkins and Equipmake are collaborating on a new off-highway hybrid system project.
Pictured is Perkins’s 1206J-E70TTA industrial
Liebherr’s H966 hydrogen engine was highlighted to the international construction press at the manufacturer’s Bad Schussenried facility. Pic: Liebherr
A graphic impression of how John Deere’s battery facility in Kernersville, North Carolina, will look on its completion, scheduled for 2025. Pic: John Deere
e-fuels, become widely available. Our plants in Ettlingen and Kirchdorf have completely switched to HVO for the first [equipment fuel] fill for machine delivery and all internal factory consumption.”
John Deere has selected a location in Kernersville, North Carolina, to construct a new 115,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. The factory will expand the production capacity of Kreisel Electric (Kreisel) products. Kreisel, which John Deere acquired majority ownership of in 2022, produces innovative battery technology for e-mobility and stationary systems and comprehensive Level 3 charging solutions. The planned production facility can support a production capacity of up to 2GWh. John Deere was due to break ground on the new facility in Q4 2023; production is estimated to begin in 2025.
“Our customers are facing challenges that require their businesses to be more dynamic than ever— we are engineering the technological innovations they’ll rely on to do so,” said Jennifer Preston, global director of John Deere Electric Powertrain and CEO of Kreisel. “Together with Kreisel, John Deere is expanding its electrification portfolio to include more scalable solutions to meet a wider range of our customers' application needs. This investment is a great step forward as we work toward demonstrating viable low- and near-zero-carbon power solutions by 2026.”
“We are prioritising the development of a robust charging ecosystem and battery portfolio”
Pierre
Guyot, senior vice president of John Deere Power Systems and chairman of Kreisel
John Deere has provided customers with over a century of safe and reliable power solutions. With the new battery manufacturing facility, the company will develop and manufacture Kreisel battery and CHIMERO charger technology, building on the company’s commitment to safety and quality. This new facility will support a production capacity increase to serve the off-highway market in North America. John Deere is also upfitting a facility to enable battery production at its factory in Saran, France — the primary manufacturing location for John Deere engines in Europe. The Kernersville-based facility will have a non-fossil-fuel-consuming design and prioritise sustainable energy features in major systems like the facility’s HVAC, energy recovery system, state-of-the-art lighting, and irrigation control.
A LONG WAY TOGETHER
The new facility will be equipped to produce Kreisel battery-pack designs and CHIMERO chargers as the company reinforces its commitment to helping John Deere and original equipment manufacturers navigate the rapidly changing electrification landscape.
“As the demand for electric solutions continues to increase, this strategic investment in growing our production capacity will help strengthen our position as an international battery technology leader. Within the evolving off-highway equipment market, we are prioritising the development of a robust charging ecosystem and battery portfolio that can support and sustain the long-term adoption of electrification across a wide variety of applications,” said Pierre Guyot, senior vice president of John Deere Power Systems and chairman of Kreisel.
John Deere has a rich history in the community of Kernersville that began with the creation of its Kernersville campus in 1988.
The town provides access to a diverse pool of technical talent from local trade and academic institutions and is well-connected to infrastructure, including highways, seaports, and airports.
The North Carolina Department of Commerce led the state’s support for the company during its site evaluation and decision-making process. The next phases of the development of the facility and construction timelines are subject to additional regulatory approval. AB
No matter how challenging your needs, EARTHMAX SR 41 is your best ally when it comes to operations that require extraordinary traction. Thanks to its All Steel radial structure and the special block pattern, EARTHMAX SR 41 provides excellent resistance against punctures and an extended service life. In addition to long working hours without downtime, the tyre ensures extraordinary comfort.
EARTHMAX SR 41 is BKT’s response to withstand the toughest operating conditions in haulage, loading and dozing applications.
The global nature of washing
New and proposed installations in Europe and Australia highlight the diversity and vibrancy of the global quarried-material wash-plant market. Guy Woodford reports
Terex Washing Systems has recently delivered a sand washing plant for Clarence Sands. This newly established site is now one of the premium sand quarries in Sydney, Australia.
The sandstone deposit located in the Blue Mountains produces premium-quality construction sand that is washed and classified using a state-of-the-art Terex Washing Systems wash plant. The bespoke design of the plant can produce up to 300
sandstone feed material and distributes it evenly on the main conveyor. At this point, any stones or rocks larger than 100mm are removed from the feed material due to the grid covering the feeder. The H30 Feeder also features a hydraulic tipping grid that can be controlled from the cab so that any material stuck on the bars can be cleared.
With the sand distributed evenly on the main conveyor, it makes its way up to the modular 20x8 2 Deck Rinser Screen. This screen has been designed to handle the tonnage needed for this operation. Nineteen spray bars give the material an initial rinse as the vibrating screener shakes the sand and stone down through the
The polyurethane decks have a much longer wear life than metal decks. Large aggregates can pass through the screen onto aggregate and oversize conveyors, where they are stockpiled as products for sale.
Any sand, silt, clay or other fine impurities present within the feed material are washed to the split catchbox of the screener. Terex Washing Systems’ catchboxes have adjustable blending paddles, which assist in blending the correct amount of fines into the coarse fraction. This ensures the required spec is always achievable.
The material is gravity-fed into one of two FM 200C sand plants. Each sand plant receives a separate split: coarse sand and one
Stockpiled sand material processed by Clarence Sands’ Terex Washing Systems solution Pic: TWS
A 17-metre rake thickener tank is part of the Terex Washing Systems’ sand wash plant solution for Clarence Sands. Pic: TWS
units were upgraded to separators rather than the standard hydrocyclones. This was done to cope with larger volumes of fines, as well as to deal with potential variations in feedstocks. Separators use centrifugal force to remove the sand from the silt and clay to transfer it onto the high-frequency dewatering screens. These dewatering screens remove the remaining water within the sand so that only 10-15% of water is left. The sand that is now up to spec is transferred onto a 26-metre radial stacking conveyor that offers a large stockpile capacity, which suits the customer's needs.
Until this point, the water used to initially rinse the feed material, wash the sand within the FM 200C, and recover from the dewatering screen is pumped into the 17-metre rake thickener tank. The rake thickener allows the silt and clay particles within the sludge to settle at the bottom of the tank while the clean water weirs over the edge to be re-used. The integral scrapers aid material transport from the outskirts of the tank to the outlet, thus accelerating the removal of sludge from the thickener.
This process is sped up with a flocculant dosing unit, which doses the sludge on its way to the rake thickener. The flocculant added to the sludge causes the waste particles to bind together, creating a larger mass particle that sinks to the tank's base faster. Dosing the sludge with flocculant dramatically increases the speed at which the clean water can be recycled back into the wash plant.
A wash plant can’t do its job without water, which can be a difficult resource to manage in Australia. Terex Washing Systems advised the customer of the need for a robust water management system that would be environmentally friendly and save on running costs.
Neil Rooney, engineering manager for Terex Washing Systems, says: “Over the last number of years, Terex Washing Systems has
developed our water management product range to the point that we’re confident we can meet the needs of any application”. He continues, “Our wash plant at Clarence Sands is a good example of how an efficient water management system can take an operation to the next level. For Clarence Sands, settling ponds maintenance is drastically reduced, freeing up valuable machinery and time.”
Servicing such a large market requires a robust and reliable wash plant, which Terex Washing Systems has delivered to the customer. The Terex Washing Systems engineers faced unique challenges during this project but overcame them and delivered a wash plant that could meet the tonnage Clarence Sands required.
Established in 2001 as a family-run gravel mine, Pannonvest Kft’s Pusztamiske site is in western Hungary. The company produces a variety of construction sand and aggregates through dry extraction. The raw material is sorted into varied fractions using washing and screening equipment.
The Pusztamiske site needed to replace a low-efficiency dewatering wheel, as it could not provide the recovery rate or product quality required by Pannonvest Kft.
Weir Minerals had recently improved a neighbouring mine’s fine-sand recovery process using a Cavex hydrocyclone.
After hearing of this project's success, the Pusztamiske site's management team approached Weir Minerals to discuss solutions.
Pannonvest Kft. required a solution capable of efficiently producing more fine sand (0-1mm) in line with European standards.
Removing clay from the excavated raw material was also considered a key challenge for any proposal. Clay negatively impacts the strength of the sand and its ability to bond with other materials.
Concrete manufacturing that includes clay within the sand can increase the required cement. The incumbent dewatering wheel did not reliably remove the clay and efficiently recover the sand from the slurry.
After discussing the project’s requirements, analysing their feed material and inspecting Pannonvest Ktf’s existing system, the Weir Minerals team recommended the installation of a Weir Minerals SP50 sand wash plant.
The SP50 50 tonnes per hour (TPH) single-sand compact plant incorporates Weir Minerals leading technologies in wet processing and wear protection, including an Isogate WS knife gate valve, a Warman WGR centrifugal slurry pump, a Cavex CVX hydrocyclone, an Enduron VD dewatering screen, and a Linatex hose and a Linatexlined slurry tank.
Weir Minerals sand wash plants are designed to be portable and easy to assemble, maintain and operate.
These plants meet the needs of even the most experienced sand producers while proving easy to operate.
Weir Minerals’ comminution experts were onsite after the equipment was delivered to supervise the installation and complete the commissioning.
Weir Minerals’ solution for Pannonvest Kft. is capable of efficiently producing more fine sand (0-1mm) in line with European standards. Pic: Weir Minerals
Weir Minerals and Pannonvest Kft. teams onsite. Pic: Weir Minerals
The compact sand wash plant was successfully delivered to the site on schedule. Due to the plant's intuitive design, it could be assembled and commissioned in only a few days.
Using the incumbent dewatering wheel, Pannonvest Kft produced approximately 50 tonnes of poor-quality sand daily, valued at approximately 800 Hungarian Forints (HUF) (US$ 2.59) per tonne. However, using the Weir Minerals sand wash plant, Pannonvest Kft can now produce 400 tonnes per day of high-quality washed sand worth up to 1,600 HUF ($5.18) per tonne. Pannonvest Kft has calculated the increased efficiency and product quality provided by the Weir Minerals sand wash plant is worth approximately 8,000,000 HUF ($25,865) per year.
Furthermore, as the Weir Minerals wash plant can process material with high amounts of clay, Pannonvest Kft can now extract and wash sand from previously untouched parts of the mine.
Considering the increased capacity and improved product quality, Pannonvest Kft estimated its return on investment will be realised in two years.
Tamás Molnár, owner and site manager, said: “Our experience partnering with Weir Minerals has been fantastic. They successfully identified our issues, evaluated our process and provided a solution that proved extremely simple to install and commission.
“The service from the Weir Minerals team and the quality of their products are exceptional. I look forward to working with them on projects in the future.”
Designed and supported by process and engineering experts, Weir Minerals compact sand plants are custom solutions built to deliver supreme sand quality and maximise recovery of saleable sand.
The Weir Minerals SP series is designed to simply remove excess fines or coarse material, providing exceptional washing results while delivering clean, low-moisture products for conveying or stockpiling.
Denmark’s leading sand specialist, Dansand, has announced plans for a new state-of-the-art ultra fines recovery system, designed and engineered by wet processing experts CDE, for its main site in Addit, north of Brædstrup.
Founded in 1971, the company, then owner of several gravel pits, quickly became the leading supplier of silica sand to the Danish foundry industry thanks to its quartzrich deposit in Addit. From this base, the company expanded its expertise in silica sand-based products to meet the specific requirements of the wider concrete and mortar industries.
Today, Dansand extracts and produces over 500,000 tonnes of refined silica sand in more than 20 different blends yearly, supplying the construction sector, various industries, sports facilities, playgrounds and the DIY markets.
After more than five decades of operation, Dansand, owned by PKB Holdings and Sibelco, the world’s largest mineral supplier, has reached groundwater level at its pit in Addit.
The company has historically extracted material using wheeled loaders, but a new approach is now required, says Claus Arve, technical manager at Dansand.
“This has been our primary means for extracting sand. However, now that we have reached the groundwater level, we need to transition to dredging to ensure we can continue extraction activities. This presents a
An aerial view of BKT’s Bhuj facility new set of challenges for our operation, and it’s, for this reason we’ve partnered with the team at CDE to engineer an efficient, highaccuracy solution that can recover valuable fractions of very fine dredged sand from large volumes of water.”
CDE business development manager Allan Esmann says while similar technologies are successfully operating in other regions, the dredge-fed wash plant will be the first of its kind commissioned by CDE in Europe.
“As Dansand commences dredging, it becomes necessary to separate dredged sand from groundwater before it can be cleaned of lignite and silt or clay fraction and then correctly sized. Central to achieving this will be our EvoWash ultra-fines recovery system with optimised hydrocyclone technology proven to recover every valuable grain and eliminate the loss of quality fines. What makes this system unique is the custom cyclone composition needed to ensure Dansand continues to manufacture its very large product suite without compromising the quality of various end products.”
The plant will be operational in early 2024.
Mount Compass Sand and Loam, 60km south of Adelaide in South Australia, was established in the early 1980s. Current owner and director Rodney Miller purchased the business in 2007, and since then, he has endeavoured to expand the company’s product range. Mount Compass produces quality sands for use in the landscaping and construction industries, including an oval mix, top dressing, speciality sands and beach sands.
The CDE ultra fines recovery system for Dansand will recover valuable fractions of very fine dredged sand from large volumes of water. Pic: CDE
Dansand technical manager Claus Arve and CDE Group business development manager Allan Esmann in front of the Dansand office in Brædstrup. Pic: CDE
Mount Compass originally used a dry screening method to separate its sand products; however, the number of products the company could make this way was limited. To make its superior products, Mount Compass had to purchase sand from other suppliers, which Miller said made the cost of doing business higher.
Then, in 2012, a McLanahan representative visited Mount Compass and pointed out new ways the company’s sand could be used that Miller hadn’t even considered. Mount Compass has a unique sand that meets the American Petroleum Institute’s specifications for frac sand – the sand particles are round, spherical and very hard.
“It opened our eyes to the opportunity that down the track, we would look at a wash plant that would enable us to exploit those markets,” said Miller.
As Mount Compass considered its options, McLanahan offered support by recommending various solutions to help it meet its production goals. In the meantime, McLanahan formed a partnership with Lincom to represent its aggregates wet processing line in Australia. Lincom already had a relationship with Mount Compass through the dry processing side of its business.
pump, hydrocyclones and dewatering screen in a compact, modular system for easy delivery and rapid setup.
“The McLanahan UltraSAND Plant came in a couple of containers, which were very easy to offload,” said Miller, “and I guess it’s really just like putting together a big Meccano set. With the support of their installing team and our boys, it was a very simple operation to put together.”
Ten years after the McLanahan representative’s first visit, Mount Compass upgraded its dry screening process with a McLanahan UltraSAND Plant through Lincom to produce speciality sands and to increase production.
“From the very beginning, McLanahan has supported us with looking at various options over the years,” Miller explained. “We’ve been very slow to make this large of an investment, but they have been with us all the way over 10 years of looking at the best options that are available for the products we wanted to produce.”
The McLanahan UltraSAND Plant is a sand-washing solution consisting of a sump,
Miller was pleased by the equipment training and service his team received from McLanahan and Lincom as Mount Compass ventured into this new washing operation. He said: “The support we received to have the plant up and running has been exceptionally good.”
The UltraSAND Plant features the flexibility to wash and dewater up to two sand products on the same screen.
“The McLanahan UltraSAND Plant enables us to wash two products at the one time, which enables us with the landscape products to have a very high-quality product as well as an oval construction product,” Miller said. “The wash plant has given us the opportunity to wash out the clay and silt,
which then take all the impurities out of the sand.”
With the McLanahan UltraSAND Plant producing washed and dewatered sand products, Mount Compass no longer has to buy sand from other suppliers to create its superior products. It has also reduced the three-step dry screening process into a one-step process.
“It’s making a fine, clean sand, which will enable us to look at other options down the track,” said Miller.
He said the plant is simple to operate, and his operators find it easy to use.
“It’s better than what we expected,” shared Miller. “The production coming off the McLanahan UltraSAND Plant is better than expected.”
Not only is the UltraSAND Plant enabling Mount Compass to create clean, high-quality sand products, but the system's efficiency also allows the company to see additional benefits, such as pursuing the production of speciality sands.
“The McLanahan UltraSAND Plant has enabled us to increase our product range and the production of our oval mixes, Miller shared. “The production of the oval mixes is a more efficient operation using the McLanahan UltraSAND Plant.
“Having an efficient wash plant has enabled us to not only enter into new markets, but it has made some of our existing products more affordable to produce, giving us a better margin overall from a business point of view.” AB
Material processed by Mount Compass’s McLanahan UltraSAND plant comes off the conveyor. Pic: McLanahan
The McLanahan UltraSAND Plant is a sand-washing solution consisting of a sump, pump, hydrocyclones and dewatering screen. Pic: McLanahan
NRE Aggregates targets a sustainable future with new waste-recycling plant
Sand and aggregate wet-processing solutions provider CDE has commissioned a waste-recycling plant in the UK for NRE Aggregates, which is part of regeneration business Peel L&P.
Peel Group is an infrastructure, transport and real estate investor in England whose aim is to put sustainability at the fore. The company says it has a vision to change the construction industry for the better, reducing the unnecessary loss of natural resources.
Established over 50 years ago, Peel Group has grown through an ethos of recycling capital and long-term investment, gaining a reputation for visionary regeneration projects, primarily in the North of England.
Its investment in a new construction and demolition (C&D) waste-recycling plant, designed and engineered by Northern Ireland-based wet-processing experts CDE, is the latest step in its commitment to combatting climate change and its impacts.
NRE Aggregates, part of Peel NRE, operates the plant to produce high-quality recycled construction products, with the aim of recycling 240,000 tonnes of C&D waste each year at the facility based in Salford, Manchester.
Peel NRE says that this entirely new venture for the business reaffirms its commitments to the circular economy, reducing its carbon footprint, and diverting more waste from landfill.
It adds that it chose CDE as both companies advocate for greater use and adoption of recycled aggregates, and they share the same purpose of creating a more sustainable and circular world which underpins everything that NRE Aggregates is setting out to do with this project.
John Peaker, associate director, asset & materials management, Peel L&P said: “Working with industry experts CDE means partnering with the next generation of innovative thinkers, and we aim to continually improve and refine our methods to reduce carbon emissions and protect the future.”
The plant has been designed to meet NRE Aggregates’ business needs, as well as the site conditions. The 120tph solution incorporates the R4500 primary feeding system, the AggMax scrubbing and classification system, EvoWash sand wash plant, AquaCycle high-rate thickener and filter-press sludge dewatering system.
The R4500 electric scalper with apron feeder delivers unrivalled protection of the downstream process by maximising product yield from feed material. The unique construction of the VibroCentric drive removes unnecessary weight while delivering acceleration up to 5G for enhanced screening performance.
The AggMax scrubbing, and classification system combines pre-screening, scrubbing, organics removal, sizing, stockpiling, fines recovery and filtrates removal on a compact chassis. The integrated trash screen allows for the effective removal of organics and other lightweight contaminants, ensuring the production of the highest quality final aggregates and mineral ores.
The EvoWash sand-washing system is engineered for in-spec sands with hydrocyclone technology and gives unparalleled control of silk cut points to produce quality materials and guarantees return on investment. It is also equipped with the VibroSync drive centre which distributes power evenly across the full screening area and ensures maximum transfer of energy
NRE Aggregates plans to recycle 240,000 tonnes of C&D waste each year at its CDE-supplied facility in Salford, North West England. Guy Woodford and Liam McLoughlin report
to material for unrivalled dewatering performance.
The AquaCycle high-rate thickener recycles up to 90% of the process water for immediate re-use in the system. It is a single, compact unit that is a highly efficient water-management solution that minimises costly water consumption. Paired with the AquaStore, which receives recycled water from the AquaCycle, ensures that all water is reused all the time. CDE’s filter-press technology is also designed to eliminate waste and increase water recycling and reduces waste handling significantly.
NRE Aggregates says that, with this plant, it is making significant developments in the North West England construction industry by creating sustainable resources for the future, reducing the amount of primary aggregates and decreasing the volume of waste entering landfill sites.
Since commissioning, the plant has recycled over 100,000 tonnes of construction, demolition and excavation waste, and is on target to process 240,000 tonnes in its first year of operation.
The firm is now producing, in total, four aggregates, 6-10mm, 10-20mm, 20-40mm and 40-80mm as well as a 0-2mm sand and 0-4mm grit.
Mike Bibby, business development manager for CDE, said: “We’ve been working with NRE Aggregates for about five years now and our relationship has gone from strength to strength.
“Plants like this are the future of the industry in their ability to minimise waste and maximise value. We are delighted to have played such an important role in the firm’s journey into wet processing and look forward to seeing the partnership develop.” AB
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3D imaging techniques such as Gaussian Splatting can be combined with AI and drone data to produce truly immersive recreations of quarries.
Image: Stockpile Reports
Quarry drones wait for their ‘Moneyball’ moment
There are huge opportunities in the use of drones at quarries if site operators are willing to take the plunge and invest in the technology. If they do, then new AI technologies can enable immersive models of quarries that could revolutionise the sector. Liam McLoughlin reports
Many quarry operators still show reluctance to utilise the potential of drone deployments, but new advances in drone-related technologies around machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to revolutionise the aggregates business.
That is the view of David Boardman, founder and CEO of US-based inventorysolutions provider Stockpile Reports. The US company, based in Washington state, specialises in stockpile-analysis solutions that utilise drone-collected and other data.
“My vision is that every square centimetre of a quarry is going to be digitised every second of every day, and when that happens then you can solve all other kinds of business problems,” says Boardman. “I think we are probably only another three years away from that happening from a technology perspective. What we are waiting on now is the humans. Until they decide they want to change the way they do business we can have all the technology we want but it’s not going to get used.”
Boardman says the biggest barrier to the use of drones in the aggregates industry is the lack of experience in transforming their businesses through technology.
“They don’t have the people who work with technology at large enterprisescale, because historically it hasn’t been required to run the rock business,” he adds.
Boardman says the problem Stockpile Reports set out to solve when it started around a decade ago was to help companies eliminate fluctuations in their financials by more frequent inventory counts.
“We innovate to make it faster, easier and cheaper to digitise those stockpiles, because the more often you can do that physical count the lower the errors in preparing your inventory can become,” he says. “We help get those inventories under control for quarries. We do that by processing the imagery when customers fly their own drones, or we have an ‘Uber for drones’ full-service where we provide the drone and the operator.”
Stockpile Reports is fully focused on inventory analysis, operations and logistics improvement and does not offer a service for the aerial mapping of quarries.
“I’m a big believer in picking one problem and solving that really well,” says Boardman, who has some strong opinions on the potential for use of drones and stockpile-analysis technology in the aggregates sector.
“If you look more broadly into the market, there aren’t the consulting organisations focused on the aggregates industry that help it to move forward in terms of digital transformation. That is starting to change a little bit in the last year or two, but it’s still not there yet.
“Cost is not a barrier, the ROI on these business cases in terms of dollar per tonne is massive and there for the taking, but people are scared of taking on these largescale technology projects, even though it may not be as expensive as buying ten new front loaders. The technology enables people to make decisions based off data, rather than sitting around a table in a sales meeting and trying to guess how much should be produced.”
He likens the current situation with the use of drone technology at quarries to the 2011 movie Moneyball, based on the real-life story of mid-tier baseball team Oakland Athletics which successfully used data analytics to compete against sides with greater resources. “It changed the game, and the very next year every other baseball team started using their method,” he says. “I’m waiting for the same thing to happen in aggregates. If somebody makes a move it’s probably going to be a mid-tier player that takes a risk to compete through technology rather than the big names like Heidelberg or Holcim.”
Boardman says that the technology for piloting drones and generating an accurate map of a quarry environment is very mature. The question now is how do you take the human out of the loop and make it autonomous, repeatable and scalable, and this is where the innovation needs to happen.
“It is happening, people are doing a lot of great things with autonomous drones but they haven’t really been fully deployed and had the wrinkles ironed out. And a lot of it is because of the regulatory oversight, which makes it complicated and requiring too much paperwork to do the testing.”
He says that drones should be in the air 24/7 providing data on quarry sites but regulators, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US, provide barriers to making this possible.
“I think over the next couple of years with the regulatory changes that are planned [in the US] it’s going to be easier to take a working solution and scale it out across locations,” he adds. “Then you will have the business case to invest US$100,000 in an autonomous drone.”
Boardman says there are huge opportunities to use drones around asset management at quarries - whether the asset is a haul truck, a rail car or a human being - to enable the identification, tracking and management of all the orchestrated elements at a quarry in terms of optimisation for monetary value and also for safety.
“If someone is willing to step up, I know that we can digitise a quarry for every second of every day,” he adds.
Boardman says that the greatest innovation connected with the use of drones that is currently taking place is in machine learning and artificial intelligence.
“One of the things that is really exciting for quarries is the potential for use of neural radiance field (NeRF) and Gaussian Splatting technologies,” he adds.
NeRF fully connected neural networks are a recently developed technology that uses deep learning to generate complex 3D images from 2D photographs.
Gaussian Splatting (Boardman says the names should get snappier if a tech player like Apple starts to market them) is a more traditional computer graphics technology used for volume rendering and point-based rendering which involves projecting 3D data onto a 2D image plane.
“These technologies allow you to visually recreate an environment with absolute perfection, from any point of view and angle. This is exciting because, when you talk about digitising every operation at a quarry for every second of every day, part of it is for the geometry. The other part is that people want to see it, they want a rewind button for the quarry so they can see what exactly happened right before that accident, or how exactly did that person perform that job for changing screens.
“This capability will generate immersive models that will make it like you are exactly there. You take the imagery from the drone, apply this technology to it and you get something that is just mindblowing. Historically these technologies have fallen short because something didn’t quite look right, but now if you put it on any virtual reality headset you are ‘there’ at the quarry and able to experience it in remote perfection. That will enable remote operations and remote inspections.”
Boardman predicts that in the next three to six months this technology should start
“If you move to the mid-market and smaller quarries, you can see much more creative uses of drone technology”
David Boardman, CEO, Stockpile Reports
to be integrated into packages for drones provided by the major GIS (geospatial information systems) software providers.
“Once you start to digitise and automate those processes and use AI machine learning to optimise them, you start requiring less people to get more and better output,” he adds.
In the data-gathering process around quarries Boardman says that drones are very important as they fly through the air, stay out of the way and give a great perspective of the site. “This is combined with data captured from other sources,” he adds. “I like what Caterpillar is doing, putting more and more sensors and cameras on front loaders.
“Drones are insanely low-cost. They are getting cheaper all the time, easier to fly, with better cameras and more autonomous routing capabilities to fly around and inside of objects.”
Despite industry reluctance around the technology, Boardman says that there are large players in the quarrying sector who are using drones very effectively for inventory, mine planning, haul-road analysis, and environmental studies. “Some big players do a really nice job of exploiting the GIS value out of the drones for business operations,” he states. “They have lots of quality-control engineers and geospatial professionals dedicated to that task.
“What’s interesting is that if you move to the mid-market and smaller quarries, you can see much more creative uses of drone technology. They are just out there getting the data they need to run their company on a day-to-day basis, which is usually a little less scientific and engineering-based, and more around quantities – what have we made today and what have we sold? They use the technology a lot but it is a little more ad hoc than the larger quarries.”
In terms of other future developments in the use of drone technology at quarries, Boardman says it will become increasingly important that they are easier to use and do not require a human, and can operate in more demanding conditions.
Stockpile Reports CEO David Boardman says drones are very important in the data-gathering process at quarries
“Drones will continue to develop to meet market demands in other industries, and then eventually the quarry will be ready to take advantage of those capabilities,” he says. “To me, it’s the humans that are the obstacle and I’m not sure what it is that’s going to trigger them to run their businesses off of data. It’s just lack of experience, it’s not that people aren’t smart or don’t want to, it’s just that they’ve never had to.”
Australia-based Maptek specialises in developing 3D technology solutions for the quarrying and mining industries and utilises drone technology. It provides a range of software and hardware solutions designed to enable quarry-site operators to make decisions that optimise and streamline their business.
Maptek has been developing terrestrial Lidar scanners for more than 20 years, with a longer legacy for (Maptek) PointStudio software that processes, models and reports on point clouds. Developing hardware and software within a single, dedicated (mine measurement) R&D team results in the most efficient, accurate deliverables that allow operators to monitor/track changes in terrain surfaces, perform volume calculations and more.
The company says that calculating and reporting volumes and variability on material stockpiles helps operators manage inventory and reduce waste. Tools to analyse and visualise data are front and centre in PointStudio, and Maptek’s recently released PointModeller base packages for supporting site inspection tasks to assess safety, track equipment and infrastructure, and monitor compliance with environmental regulations.
“Quarry operators can build on the base toolkits with geospatial add-ons for photogrammetry, geotechnical analysis, and design conformance and reporting for haul roads, access ramps against extraction,” Maptek states.
PointStudio and PointModeller allow users to import drone imagery to create highly densified point clouds, textured surfaces and orthophoto imagery to optimise survey, drill and blast, fragmentation and other downstream applications.
Maptek says that drone technology offers several advantages to quarry-site operators, helping them streamline operations, and improve safety in a cost-effective way.
“Covering large areas quickly means that drones capture massive volumes of data across entire quarry sites,” the company continues. “The value of the data is not
harnessed unless it can be rapidly processed ready for analysis and downstream use, which is how Maptek software systems excel.
“Processing speed on desktop or in-cloud apps helps deliver real-time data that in turn enables better decision-making and optimises production. Customisable, visualstyle reporting is built into Maptek software -it’s not an afterthought - and this allows data to be reported for regulatory and safety compliance.”
Maptek says that in-built auditing capabilities allow its customers to analyse historical data to track changes in the quarry over time and plan for future operations.
In 2023 Maptek launched several initiatives that it says make its offering more attractive and useful to quarry operators.
PointModeller is a subscription-based solution designed to handle the data volume captured by drone or airborne, lightweight sensors and quickly convert it into accurate surfaces, volumes and other deliverables in minutes.
Smart tools optimise workflows to easily create topographic or 3D surfaces, calculate
inventory, create smart lines for toe and crest, and track excavation conformance to design.
Operators can combine data from a variety of digital sensors and export deliverables in standard formats.
PointModeller supports file types such as .las, .laz, .e57, .obj or text files and is offered as a cost-effective subscription package.
The photogrammetry add-on allows terrain specialists to take full advantage of their drone imagery or Lidar point clouds from other sensors such as mobile or flown sensors and extract extremely detailed point clouds to apply downstream for site-mapping, stockpile volumetrics and geotechnical analysis.
A simple, intuitive interface allows users to generate textured surfaces from drone imagery in minutes. Users can select ground control points or register to existing data, with automatic identification of images with the same target.
The Maptek Store and new, flexible subscription terms/periods/rates are designed to make purchase, download and renewal of Maptek software more accessible to a wider range of customers.
All of the spatial measurement base and add-on packages are now available from the online store, with subscriptions from as low as $50/day. Operations can start short-term with daily licences while they work out what suits the site needs, with flexibility to renew on demand or save with weekly or monthly licences to cover periods of high usage such as end-of-month.
Maptek’s GeoSpatial Manager, currently in early adopter phase and anticipated for release early 2024, is a web-based storage and visualisation solution for all survey surfaces. Quarries can download surfaces for a specified date and time and apply it to any task in their mining or civil project. Centralised storage on a cloud or network server avoids frustration and risk arising from locating survey files stored in various places, with the single source of survey truth improving efficiency and communication across quarry operations. AB
Maptek’s PointStudio and new PointModeller solutions import drone imagery to optimise a range of quarrying applications
Maptek’s PointStudio software interprets data for surveying and geotechnical analysis
The continuing Powerscreen machine evolution
Powerscreen unveiled an array of next-generation machines during the Terex Materials Processing (Terex MP) business brand’s World Dealer Conference in Varese, Italy, from 19-21 September 2023. The big triennial event drew nearly 400 dealers, customers and staff. Neil Robinson, Powerscreen product director, showcased the new products during a well-attended presentation before conference-goers saw some of them along with other Powerscreen machines at a nearby customer quarry site. Guy Woodford reports
There was a good buzz of excitement as Neil Robinson played videos of Powerscreen’s new next-generation machines for global crushing, screening and conveying customers.
The Terex MP brand has high commercial hopes for the Premiertrak 450 jaw crusher, the Trakpactor 480/480SR horizontal shaft impact crusher, the Warrior 1800X scalping screen and the CT80R tracked conveyor.
Robinson also highlighted that Powerscreen now offers diesel-electric versions of the Titan 600 and Warrior 1200.
Starting with the Premiertrak 450, an evolution of the extremely popular Premiertrak 400X, which will remain an attractive rental option for customers, he said: “Our 400X is the highest-running mobile crusher in the market. Around two years ago, we introduced the HD [crushing] chamber, and all we’ve wanted to do is take that a stage further. This plant has been designed around the HD chamber to handle various materials
while strengthening the machine's reliability. All this goes into maximising your uptime.
“We’ve just shy of 100 HD-chamber crushers out crushing, with some having crushed for over 3,000 hours. Combined, the HD chambers have crushed for over 30,000 hours,” said Robinson. “The big thing is the increased chamber crushing force, by 28% [500kN compared to the 400X’s 390kN crushing force]. This brings it in line with the Premiertrak 600.
“Everything has been done to make the Premiertrak 450 fit for purpose. The side plates are 10% thicker, and the front and rear end frames are structured to take the increased crushing force. The drivetrain has also been upgraded.”
Robinson said a big change with the HD chamber is it is tilted over to help material into the chamber. Another notable change in the Premiertrak 450 compared to its predecessor is its control panel on the machine's left side. “We’ve put a lot of effort into simplifying our plant operating system. Everything now is essentially plug and play, and it’s much easier to troubleshoot,” said Robinson.
Neil Robinson, Powerscreen product director, speaking at the Powerscreen World Dealer Conference in Varese, Italy. Pic: Guy Woodford
A Premiertrak 450 jaw crusher processing quarry materials. Pic: Powerscreen
New and latest Powerscreen machines at the World Dealer Conference demonstration
site. Pic: Guy Woodford
A Warrior 1800X scalping screen at work on a Powerscreen customer site. Pic: Powerscreen
The Trakpactor 480SR was among the new machines highlighted by Powerscreen at its World Dealer Conference.
Pic: Powerscreen
Robinson also showed dealers slides of a planned electric version of the Premiertrak 450, the Premiertrak 450E. “This is part of our look into electrical [plant] and doing things differently. Imagine you’re in your car driving down the highway, accelerating and decelerating; you are using a lot of fuel. With this [electric-powered plant], we use energy storage systems or supercapacitors. Any excess energy produced is stored and brought back into powering your machine. It smooths off the power curve and gives you much better fuel consumption. It also allows you [for the Premiertrak 450E] to go from a nine-litre [Premiertrak 450] to a seven-litre engine. We have the 450E out on a back-toback test against the 450.”
Robinson outlined the thinking behind introducing the Trakpactor 480/480SR horizontal shaft impactor: “We looked at specific regions where we felt we were missing certain machines. One that came up was the need for a machine to compete with some of the impactors that are offered by other OEMs, particularly in North America. The Trakpactor 480/480SR has a brand new 42-inch x 50-inch chamber. It has a Scania DT13 engine offering 450 horsepower. It’s got a new 14-inch x 5-inch post-screen and a recirculating conveyor. The blow bars are deeper giving increased wear life.”
Robinson added, focusing on the machine’s hopper and feeder: “We only went with a longer VGF [vibrating grizzly feeder]. It’s 3.9 metres, roughly 13 feet, with a two-section grizzly at the end. The bypass conveyor is the same as the [Trakpactor] 320, and the product conveyor is 1,100mm
or 44 inches. We’ve standardised between the standard Trakpactor 480 and the SR version. If the screen is dropped off the SR plant, the SR and the Standard plant are identical. The post-screen is a new 14-inch x 5-inch screen with common mesh used by the 1400, 1700X and 2200 Chieftains. It can be run as a single deck with just the bottom transfer.”
The Warrior 1800X scalping screen replaces Powerscreen’s Warrior 1800.
Robinson told conference-goers that while the Warrior 1800 was one of the brand’s biggest-selling plants in recent years, more competition had come into its screen size class. “The Warrior 1800X is based on the Warrior 2100 single-shaft scalping screen, with a few other small changes. We are not getting rid of the Warrior 1800. There’s still a market for it at a very good price point. It’s moving to our Titan range and will be renamed the Titan 1800.”
Robinson highlighted some of the standout features of the dual-power option Warrior 1800X, saying: “The plant’s highly aggressive screenbox has increased throughput, a jack-up screen box has a massive 1,000mm lift at the front or 40 inches, with the chassis designed to allow this. The side conveyors can be swapped, and the hopper extended, and doing the two-way split is much easier. The engine speed of 1800rpm compares to 2200rpm of the Warrior 1800. This uses less fuel without a loss of power.”
Like the Titan 600, the new Warrior 1200 Hybrid scalping screen is one of Powerscreen’s new dual-power plants. “It
has a 37kW motor and follows the same architecture as our other screens. The motor sits underneath the screen, just behind the power unit,” explained Robinson.
The CT80R tracked radial stockpiling conveyor is an evolution of the CT75R conveyor. It retains the current 40” or 1050mm wide conveyor, paired with a Cat 4.4 [industrial diesel] engine for Tier 3 [customers] and a Cat 2.2 [industrial diesel] engine for Tier 4 Final/Stage V [customers]. It comes with single-wheel drive as standard, with the option of twin-wheel drive.
Robinson continued: “Whenever it’s tracking, it sends oil to the wheel drive, giving you a three- or four-wheel drive. This allows very good performance when loading it onto the trailer and going up a slope. Its stockpiling capacity is 11,000m³, and the conveyor can be containerised.”
Finally, Robinson highlighted the new Gladiator PT600 wheeled jaw crusher, which wasn’t at the nearby conference quarry demo site owned and operated by a longtime customer of Powerscreen’s Italian dealer, Impianti Industriali.
“This is a North American [market] machine. It has a very aggressive, highperformance chamber, and we have built the plant around it. The crusher has a large-capacity hopper that uses a 20-footlong VGF. It has folding extensions to keep it under the legal transport height and comes with a quad or three-plus-one axle.”
Robinson ended his presentation by highlighting the full range of working and on-display Powerscreen machines at the nearby customer demo site, including the Titan 1300, Titan 2300, Premiertrak 420E and Chieftain 1700X, to name just a few. He also gave World Dealer Conference attendees an exclusive look at further new machines the brand is launching over the next few years. “Everything up to 2025 is locked in,” he emphasised. AB
Sustainable gains
A big global partnership to decarbonise construction while other major building material producers reach eye-catching sustainability milestones. Guy Woodford reports
Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) will play a major role in exploring holistic net-zero innovations for the construction industry with CRH, the global leader in building materials solutions. It comes after CRH signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Volvo Group.
With an ambition to explore decarbonisation opportunities across transport, operations and materials, Volvo Group and CRH signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on November 13. As part of this strategic agreement, Volvo CE will take on responsibility for next-generation technology deployment, the scaling up of cutting-edge technology and operational efficiency for the off-road segment to reduce carbon emissions while maintaining high productivity levels.
While it is not yet determined which solutions will be included in the scope, it is likely to involve vehicle electrification and charging infrastructure to reduce transport emissions, productivity and sustainability services and the deployment of low-carbon fuels for both on-road and off-road equipment.
Volvo CE already has a productive collaboration with CRH spanning many years, resulting in the handover of North America’s first machine made using fossil-free steel, a Volvo A30G articulated hauler. It is now operating at Pennsy Supply, a CRH company in North America.
Another pioneering partnership recently saw the two companies collaborate in a ‘Low Carbon Roads’ event, where CRH company Tarmac put to work three zero-emission
Volvo CE machines on the maintenance of a highway in Durham, UK. The L120H Electric Conversion wheeled loader, L25 Electric compact wheeled loader and EC230 Electric excavator were tested over three days last month.
Melker Jernberg, president of Volvo CE, who will be leading the off-road aspect of the partnership, said: “Partnerships are key to accelerating decarbonisation, and our collaboration with building materials solutions leader CRH will help both companies to achieve their net-zero ambitions. We move faster and create more impactful change when we work together.”
“At CRH, we’re innovating for a low-carbon future with deep expertise in sustainable transport and infrastructure solutions. Volvo Group is a natural strategic partner for CRH, and this collaboration is an important step in our shared commitment to
decarbonising our businesses,” said Eunice Heath, CRH's Chief Sustainability Officer.
The two leaders share strong sustainability ambitions. Volvo CE targets 35% fully electric sales by 2030 and aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its entire value chain by 2040. CRH, meanwhile, is targeting a 30% reduction in group-wide emissions by 2030 and to become a net-zero business by 2050.
Other Volvo Group businesses participating in the partnership include Renault Trucks, which has developed the first fully electric concrete mixer in the UK together with Tarmac, Volvo Trucks, which introduced the first Volvo FM electric truck in France on behalf of CRH company Eqiom, and Mack Trucks.
Cemex says it has become the first company in its industry to provide environmental impact information, including CO2 emissions, for its core products in all
Pictured from left: Bruno Blin, president of Renault Trucks; Melker Jernberg, president of Volvo Construction Equipment; Carl Slotte, head of region Europe Volvo CE; Eunice Heath; CRH senior VP & chief sustainability officer; and Martin Riley, CRH senior VP climate performance
Zero-emission solutions by Volvo CE and Volvo Trucks on site in Durham, UK, with CRH company Tarmac. Pic: Volvo CE
the main markets in which it participates worldwide. This disclosure is customised by location and is critical for architects, engineers, contractors, and customers looking to develop more sustainable construction.
Depending on the market’s customary practices, this is addressed through Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) or Cemex’s proprietary environmental measurement tool called CERO2. Both processes have third-party validation.
“We are committed to being the leading partner in sustainable construction for our customers,” said Fernando A. González, CEO of Cemex. “With this disclosure, our customers have environmental impact information on which they can rely for sustainable construction. We continue to expand our portfolio of sustainable products, allowing our clients to effectively design and manage the carbon footprint of their construction projects.”
The CERO2 carbon footprint measurement tool results from years of development efforts by Cemex and harnesses the company’s industry-leading digital capabilities. The tool calculates the detailed environmental impact to provide accurate information on a product’s footprint in a particular location. The tool provides a much higher degree of accuracy than the average emission data available in other carbon calculator tools available today.
In addition, products under Cemex’s Vertua brand provide a sustainable fact label, the first in the industry, which details the product’s performance across a range of sustainable attributes. Vertua has a specialised portfolio of more sustainable, high-quality construction products to contribute to sustainable construction.
Vertua is a part of Cemex’s Future in Action programme, which focuses on achieving sustainable excellence through climate action, circularity, and natural resource management to become a net-zero CO2 company by 2050. Cemex has set an ambitious goal for its Vertua lower-carbon cement and concrete products to reach more than half of all cement and concrete sales by 2025.
Heidelberg Materials UK has become Britain’s first heavy building materials manufacturer to reach the updated PAS 2080:2023 standard on managing and reducing whole-life carbon in the built environment.
PAS 2080:2023 provides a consistent framework for evaluating and managing carbon for all involved in delivering buildings and/or infrastructure. The revised standard has an expanded scope, a new emphasis on whole-life carbon, and a stronger alignment with the transition to a net-zero carbon economy by 2050.
Heidelberg Materials UK’s certification, which follows two audits carried out by Construction Products Certification (CPC), demonstrates that the company has carbon management processes in place to help
“We are committed to being the leading partner in sustainable construction for our customers,”
Fernando A. González, CEO of Cemex
energy solution that will convert waste heat into clean and affordable electricity. This efficient solution has the potential to accelerate project implementations and, at the same time, reduce costs.
its customers reduce carbon within a specific project or programme of work, help customers make better decisions on lower carbon solutions, and ensure the embodied carbon within its products reduces over time.
“The UK’s built environment is responsible for around a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, so decarbonising the sector is key to meeting the Climate Change Act and net zero carbon ambitions,” said Heidelberg Materials UK sustainability director Marian Garfield.
“This certification will become an increasingly important requirement and demonstrates our commitment to leading the way in delivering lower carbon solutions for our customers as well as meeting our own decarbonisation goals.”
The scope of Heidelberg Materials UK’s PAS 2080:2023 certification is as a supplier of heavy building products and a constructor of road surfacing and infrastructure.
TITAN, an innovative and fastdecarbonising cement producer, and Orcan Energy, the leading cleantech company turning waste heat into clean electricity, have teamed up in an innovation partnership.
This partnership combines TITAN's cement production and decarbonisation expertise and Orcan Energy's proven track record in sustainable energy solutions. Together, the partners will explore developing and deploying an innovative modular clean
Samir Cairae, chief technology officer of TITAN, said: “We have a strong ambition to reduce specific Scope 2 emissions by ca. 58% by 2030 from a 2020 base year. The collaboration with our waste-heat recovery partner Orcan Energy, has the potential to transform waste heat into zero-carbon clean energy, with a novel but well-proven modular approach, aiming at a significant reduction of emissions coupled with immediate financial gains. Additionally, the innovative business model could be a step towards a partnershipdriven ecosystem in the face of rapid changes in decarbonisation and digitisation technologies."
Dr Andreas Sichert, CEO of Orcan Energy, said: “We are thrilled to partner with TITAN for utilising their vast and valuable waste heat resources. Our technology will help not only to reach the Group’s extraordinary decarbonisation ambitions but also to significantly save electricity expenses. TITAN is a remarkable player in the cement industry, constantly building the business while at the same time proactively pushing sustainability initiatives. We are here to combine both worlds: business and sustainability. Our modular approach will allow TITAN to flexibly respond to outside changes in uncertain times.
“As a first step, this collaboration aims to undertake a comprehensive assessment of deploying Orcan Energy's waste heatto-power solutions across TITAN Group's facilities. The assessment encompasses a thorough pilot site evaluation, starting with several plants of the Group. Orcan Energy’s modules can be installed in several applications. In the first step, the focus will be on the pre-heater and the clinker cooler – combined or without any link between the two heat sources to stay flexible towards future developments. Additionally, both parties will explore other potential areas of cooperation to develop a more strategic alliance.” AB
Simon Wills, Heidelberg Materials UK CEO. Pic: Heidelberg Materials UK
TITAN’s cement plant in Patras, Greece. Pic: TITAN
April in Paris is INTERMAT
Global event organiser Comexposium, based near Paris, annually connects around 48,000 exhibitors with more than 3.5 million visitors in 22 countries. Taking place in April 2024, INTERMAT is one of Comexposium’s flagship events and Christophe Lecarpentier is bringing his own passion and communication experience in the construction sector towards spreading the word that Paris is best in springtime
Countless divas, movie directors and writers have focussed on how Paris stimulates both passion and relationships. For example, April in Paris, the 1952 American movie starring Doris Day and Ray Bolger, is about how communication, albeit mistaken, led to a long-lasting love relationship. As well, Ella Fitzgerald sang I love Paris in the springtime because “her love is near”.
Passion, communication and relationships are things well understood by Christophe Lecarpentier, Comexposium's new director of its AgroEquipement and Construction Business Unit. His career experience in the agricultural and construction sectors has been acquired across nearly 30 years and provides him with detailed knowledge of manufacturers, including JCB (see box). He has a clear understanding of the markets, in both their industrial aspects and their
miss something if there is no interaction between people. Reading an email and discussing an issue with somebody are not the same thing. The way you communicate, the way you listen and watch reactions from people will probably change the way you act and react. Personal interaction is key for moving relationships forward and exhibitions are places of interaction with all actors of the business sector.”
“In the past 28 years, I have learned that communication and relationships are key in any business,” he says. “You can learn a lot of things on the internet, read many things, watch videos. But you will always
Christophe Lecarpentier
What sometimes can be missed is how an exhibition is an integral part of brand promotion. It enables the entire industry to nd solutions to new challenges. “My mission is to help the industry make
Next year’s INTERMAT will showcase mobilised to respond to the challenges of net-zero targets and strategies. The event will also highlight the dynamic innovation of manufacturers as they rise to these
his experience in various positions with international manufacturers such as Milsco Manufacturing and JCB has given him a useful insight into the challenges facing the global construction equipment sector. This is helping him and his team at Comexposium ensure that the next INTERMAT is keeping up with the times. “Numerous meetings with various sector trade federations have led to a complete makeover in the way we approach
“The entire industry has adopted a CAP under the banner of low-carbon. INTERMAT 2024 aims to showcase the excellence of
Lecarpentier fully understands that the construction sector is passionate about meeting its sustainable commitments. His first INTERMAT was in 1997. Since then,
Christophe Lecarpentier graduated in 1996 in international trade from a Paris Chamber of Commerce College, the CPSS Trudaine. He later followed the executive leadership course at HEC Management in Paris 2003 and a dual course in sales
Lecarpentier began his career in 1996 as a sales executive, then sales director Europe from 1998 to 2005 at Milsco Manufacturing, the American equipment manufacturer and the supplier of seats for machinery in the construction, agricultural, industrial and landscaping markets.
His career continued at JCB, the supplier of machines and solutions for the construction, agricultural, industrial and recycling sectors. He was product manager from 2005 to 2011, marketing and sales support director from 2011 to 2020, then director of the Africa zone from 2020 to 2023, overseeing the dealerships in north and
Because of his French and international experiences, he has worked with many manufacturers, both upstream in product design and innovation as well as at the distribution level for product launch, promotion, network training and sales
•For more information about INTERMA
contact Christophe Lecarpentier:
“More than ever before,
how the construction industry is developing and promoting low-carbon activities and innovation, as well as digitalisation.”
He says that the show's model has been radically revamped to reflect this and allows for a more comprehensive offering by exhibitors. Exhibition areas have been redesigned around the sector's major challenges. These are called INNOVATION and ENERGY and are new for 2024. Each of the NEW EQUATIONS and CSR (corporate social responsibility) areas will feature conferences and highlights (see INTERMAT’s Four Pillars).
“A number of conferences and debates will be organised around the subjects of adding value and transforming our businesses and restructuring supply chains to integrate new energies and technologies,” says Lecarpentier. “More than ever before, the show must provide answers to visitors wondering what alternative solutions they can adopt, how they can change their business model, what manufacturers can offer them and even how they can source electricity, gas, biofuel and hydrogen."
With carbon footprints in mind, he says, INTERMAT itself has been reduced from six days down to four. After all, he says, if the event is going to showcase how the sector is reducing its carbon footprint, INTERMAT, as a premier event globally for the sector, should prove it is just as capable of achieving targets.
Lecarpentier says that exhibitors are reacting positively to the event’s new directions. At present, 65% of exhibitors are international companies based outside France, proof that global companies believe the event, from April 24-27 at Paris-Nord Villepinte exhibition complex, is a must-attend. Companies committed to being present include Ausa, CIFA, EPIROC, Faymonville, Groupe Fayat, Hitachi, Hydromek, Kobelco, Liebherr, Manitou, Magni, Volvo and Wirtgen.
“They join already-announced registered exhibitors such as Alphi, Bobcat, Develon, Cummins, Imer, Komatsu, Groupe Monnoyeur, Putzmeister, Sany, Sateco, Schwing Stetter, Sunward, Takeuchi, Topcon and Wacker Neuson.”
His team at Comexposium has also been engaging - and will continue to engagepublic authorities to give INTERMAT 2024 as high a profile as possible. There is a lot more media coverage, including promotion of the sector from an employment and training perspective.
As a last word, innovation is a key word and Lecarpentier has worked with brands which were very innovative. Listening to people, how to improve things, how to make things different to improve people’s lives is an everyday challenge but also acts as a main driver for innovation.
“My new position at Comexposium is a superb challenge,” he says. “Having represented a single brand for many years, I now have the opportunity, as director of the Ag Equipment and Construction division, to support the entire industry in promoting all its innovation.” AB
INTERMAT’s Four Pillars
INTERMAT 2024 will be based on four main pillars, each offering highlights and developments in line with the four major challenges facing the construction industry.
INNOVATION
An Industry Forum (new for 2024), will bring together the five main French construction federations: DLR (La Fédération nationale des distributeurs, loueurs et réparateurs de matériels de construction et de manutention), EVOLIS (which represents key players in the industrial equipment and machinery market), UMGO-FFB (La Fédération Française du Bâtiment), FNTP (La Fédération Nationale des Travaux Publics) and SEIMAT (Syndicat des Entreprises Internationales des Matériels et Services de Travaux Publics, Mines et Carrières, Bâtiment et Levage). The forum will feature a series of talks and roundtables with top-level speakers, construction professionals and official authorities as well as French
and international special guests including perspectives from other sectors to address zero-carbon issues.
A World Of Concrete Europe Forum will be a series of talks dedicated to the concrete industry, the material and its various applications.
The INTERMAT Innovation Awards will reflect the sector’s new challenges with a dedicated display area.
INTERMAT Press Days will be two days of workshops and discussions between exhibitors and journalists on January 18 and 19.
ENERGY
The New Technologies and Energies Hub (new for 2024) will be an area dedicated to exhibitors and start-ups and a “speakers platform” will be set up.
A Demonstration Zone will be dedicated to what will power the equipment of the future; two exhibitors have already registered – material conveyor system maker Theam and material supplier River.
NEW EQUATIONS
A space dedicated to the promotion of the professions and the financial and human resources jobs, as well as training within the sector; this pillar is a platform for promotional initiatives, workshops and talks, job dating sessions, etc.
INTERMAT Rental Day will be devoted to equipment rental with contributions from international experts.
NET-ZERO COMMITMENTS
The revamped INTERMAT for 2024 will be a model event for showcasing innovation as the sector strives for net-zero performance in many of its aspects. INTERMAT will reduce its own carbon footprint – only four days instead of six.
The event will offer to the widest audience within the constructionequipment sector access to the latest thinking regarding the circular economy, highlighting responsible products and services.
2024
JANUARY
23-25 World of Concrete
Las Vegas, NV
Organiser : Informa Tel: +1 212 600 3525 registration@worldofconcrete. com
These dates were correct at the time of going to press, but please note that the COVID-19 pandemic means some events may be rescheduled with little advance notice
